


Planet of Wishes

by bookscape



Category: Lost in Space (TV 1965)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-11 11:57:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19927705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookscape/pseuds/bookscape
Summary: A dying alien gives Penny an artifact that could help them get back to Earth.





	1. Chapter 1

_**Planet of Wishes** _

**Planet of Wishes begins where Divided Planet left off. The family, tiring of their seemingly endless quest for Earth or Alpha Centauri, relishes the chance to rest for a while on a peaceful, idyllic planet. But this planet holds secrets... secrets that could be deadly, or be the key to their return home. It also begins a relationship with a strange but pleasant race of creatures that Penny names 'flutter-dragons.'**

**The Robinson family, Don West, Dr. Smith, the Robot and the Jupiter II all belong to Twentieth Century Fox/Space Productions, whomever. I really can't be sure anymore. But I have borrowed them, and fit them to my vision of sci fi with a great deal of satisfaction and gratitude.**

**The 'flutter-dragons' and all the other creatures that the Robinson clan encounter in this story, including humans, are my creation. Please ask before you take them out to play.**

**This story is lovingly dedicated to my dear friend, Patricia Crumpler. She was my beta reader and resident expert on LIS behavior. I have made minor changes in this story to better fit what I wrote in later stories.**

**January, 2002**

| 

****

**Chapter One - Wedding**

**Peering over the monitor of the navigational computer, Professor John Robinson gazed in rapture at the star sprinkled vault of ebony darkness. It was a sight that never ceased to amaze him, making him pause in silent wonder every time the Jupiter II came out of hyper-drive. But this time, as it had a great deal recently, it also frustrated him. Looking down at the computer screen, he entered various equations and the screen finally lit up with charts of the star systems nearest their position.**

**John knew at a glance that these, too, were unknowns, and he ordered the computer to save them for possible future reference. Sighing, he then gave the termination order and exited the program, looking up again at the stars that appeared to slowly and majestically swing in front of him. Hands began massaging his shoulders and neck, the fingers rubbing in a way that almost always relaxed him. "Umm," he sighed after a few minutes, reaching up and taking his wife’s hands in his. Drawing her down toward him, John kissed Maureen tenderly and then more passionately.**

**"Did anyone ever tell you that you are possessed of extra-sensory-perception?" he asked, a few minutes later. "You always seem to be able to know when I need something like that." Then he laughed and pulled her into his lap. The swivel chair squeaked in protest at the addition of another person. "The next time we’re near a Sears, we have to get a couch." John held his wife close. "But in a pinch, this will do. It’s obvious the architect who designed this ship wasn’t married."**

**Maureen laughed at the joke, but certainly had to agree. The Jupiter II was a utilitarian ship, made to carry cryogenically preserved humans, and not for the type of journey that had been forced on them. There were times when she woke up wanting to scream at the sight of the metallic walls and gray fixtures. And she longed for a stove: a real stove, not a replicator, nor even the miraculous wonder oven that had broken down after two years. Just to be able to cook a big turkey dinner, now that would be heaven.**

**Snuggling against John’s chest, Maureen thought of all the times in the past, when she would stop somewhere and get carry-out dinners for the family because both of their schedules disallowed home cooked meals or because the thought of having to fix something after a day at work made her feel even more tired. The irony caused Maureen to laugh again.**

**John looked at her curiously. "My joke wasn’t that funny," he quipped.**

**"I was just wishing for a stove, a real honest to goodness stove, not a replicator that has to be reprogrammed every few weeks because it wasn’t made to be used for three years," she said in exasperation. "Or that tin box that broke down a year ago, although that was better than the food replicator."**

**"I will add that to my list of things to pick up at the department store."**

**"John Robinson, I’m serious," Maureen said testily. This time John rubbed her shoulders, and she, too, was able to feel a release of tension. "I’m sorry, dear, it’s just that I get a closed-in feeling sometimes."**

**"I know. I do, too, and I have also been noticing how tense everybody has been lately. That’s why I’ve been continuing to jump to different coordinates, praying that the defensive devise in the hyper-drive unit doesn’t fail and land us in the middle of a star or planet." Sighing, John held his wife close and said softly, "I can’t help but wonder, though, if I’m only taking us farther away from Earth, instead of closer."**

**"We just have to take that chance, John, and hope for the best," Maureen reassured him.**

**"I remember when I went to summer camp as a kid, the advisors would always tell us to stay put if we got lost and we’d be found eventually. What an incredible bit of irony that is." John paused and looked out the observation window thoughtfully. "Because in this case, to stay put and wait is death. There is no one out there to find us. But this blindly hopping around still scares the hell out of me, Mo," he confided, almost in a whisper.**

**Maureen knew that John had what she would call mini-anxiety attacks every time a hyper space jump was made, and she guessed that their safety was the reason. She caressed his cheek. "We’re fortunate that we were given the technology to make these kind of interstellar jumps, or we would have even less hope of finding our way back. John, we can’t worry about the what might be’s, we just do what we have to do," she leaned closer and kissed him. "Right now, you have a promise to fulfill."**

**John’s face registered confusion.**

**"You promised to officiate at your daughter’s wedding, remember?" Maureen chuckled.**

**"You sure did," Major Don West said brightly. Both Robinsons jumped in surprise, having been oblivious to his approach.**

**"Yes," John smiled, good humor returning. "I did. The one good perk to this job."**

**Maureen slid out of his lap. "All right, when?" she asked Don. Every time she thought of Judy’s impending marriage, she felt the tears just on the verge of flowing. It had seemed like just yesterday that she and John had been amazed at the tiny bundle in their arms and now their little girl was full grown and ready to start a family of her own.**

**"Judy and I wanted to have our wedding among the stars, and I can’t think of a more beautiful ocean of stars then what I see out there right now," Don said. "Let me check with Judy, but how about tomorrow?"**

**"You are a wise man who has already learned when to defer to your better half," John said sagely. "Unless you say otherwise, we will plan on tomorrow evening.**

**"Oh, but there’s one thing that will be hard to get used to," Don said evenly.**

**When his future son-in-law didn’t continue, John asked, "What?" He knew Don well enough by now to realize that he was being set up for some kind of witty repartee, but he always took the bait.**

**"Calling you Dad," Don answered with a straight face. John looked at him in shock, and after a moment of silence, Maureen began to laugh, the two men joining in shortly thereafter.**

**"Don’t you dare," John was finally able to get out.**

* * *

**John stood on one side of the observation deck and watched with emotion filled eyes as his daughter and his best friend stood before him. He briefly reminisced back a couple of months when he thought he would never be able to witness and take part in this happy event. When he had almost died...**

**Don’s expectant look brought him back to the present. John saw the reflection of the myriad of shimmering stars in his bright eyes.**

**Clearing his throat, John continued the informal ceremony. "I’m going to say a few things before administering the vows." Looking at his oldest child, and then at his close friend, he smiled and said, "Judy, Don, you are embarking on a journey of joy and happiness, with sadness and pain sprinkled in. If you decide right now that you are both committed to making this journey all the way to the end with each other, then there will be so much more joy than sadness. You both need to remain loyal and dedicated to each other," John paused before continuing. "I thought, on the day that I married her, that I could not love Maureen any more than I did that day. I was wrong. I love Maureen more now than I could ever have dreamed possible twenty-three years ago. I will love her even more in the years to come. You will come to understand that for yourselves." John smiled at his wife standing near Judy and watched the tears flow unchecked down her face.**

**"Enough said," he commented with a smile and then proceeded to administer the vows, finishing with, "I now have the privilege of pronouncing you man and wife. Don, kiss your bride." There was no hesitation, Don gathered Judy in his arms in a tight grip and kissed her passionately. Judy put her arms around her husband and reciprocated.**

**"Mrs. West," Don pulled away for a moment.**

**"Yes, Mr. West," Judy answered.**

**"You look ravishing," the major exclaimed and kissed her again. Soon he announced, "This is an informal ceremony. We are dispensing with the formalities of hand shaking, first dances, bouquet tossing, reception lines and pieces of wedding cake in each other’s faces and going straight to the honeymoon," he added, laughing. Scooping up his wife, Don marched to the elevator, and when the door whooshed open, the pair disappeared inside.**

**For approximately a minute, John stared at the elevator doors and then started laughing happily. "I hope, Penny, that you had time to move your things to Don’s old room; because if you didn’t, there won’t be a chance until tomorrow," he finally said with a wry smile.**

**"Judy couldn’t wait to move my stuff out, so you don’t have to worry about that, Dad," Penny quipped.**

**"Yeah, they made me do most of the carrying," Will said with a sigh. Everyone laughed, except Maureen, who was still trying to stem the flow of tears. John put his arms around his wife and kissed her tenderly, using a handkerchief to gently wipe away the tears.**

**"Our baby is grown up now, John," she whispered.**

**"I know, dear heart," he whispered back.**  
  
---


	2. Chapter 2

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
**Chapter Two - Walls**

**"Some honeymoon," Don growled as he sat at the control panel of the Jupiter II. John was working on the navigational computer again, trying to guess which computations would be the most logical to try this time. Having slept little the night before in anticipation of another uncertain hyper-jump, he was edgy and in no mood for any complaints.**

**"Did you know that Smith had the gall to knock on our door at 6:00 this morning? I couldn’t believe it. Claimed that Penny had left some of whatever he uses on one of his aches or pains or other ailments in the closet. And the man almost never gets up before 9:00, so what happens on the day after our marriage? Bangs on our door at six!" Don said in exasperation. John just pressed his lips tighter together and tried to concentrate on the figures on the monitor.**

**"And then he had the temerity to give us ten reasons why it would be unwise for Judy and I to try and have children right now. As though it were any of his business, either way. The jerk! Just because he has a doctorate to go with his name. Probably got it from the home study program of Timbuktu University."**

**"Don," John sighed in exasperation. "Do a check on the hyperdrive system from your station. The computer analysis program."**

**"John, we did that yesterday. Before the wedding, remember?" Don reminded him, a bit irritated at his friend’s lack of concern at his problems.**

**"Yes, Don, I remember," he said testily. "Would you just do it?"**

**Don looked at the professor in concern before saying anything. "John, I think you are overly anxious. The hyperdrive system is probably the only flawless part on this whole ship."**

**"Don, I am responsible for seven lives on this voyage, and I will make whatever tests I deem necessary. Now if you aren’t going to help me, then please move so I can do it myself," John snapped.**

**Don drew himself up and took a deep breath. His eyes flashed in anger, but he bit back the first retort that he had wanted to make. After taking a few deep breaths, he finally said, "John, I want to point out that you are not alone in this. I was chosen for this trip because I am a darn good pilot. Just because you have the greatest expertise at the helm and in astro-physics doesn’t lessen the need for my abilities. Let me know when you’re finished with your tests and ready for the actual jump." Don turned on his heel and stormed out.**

**Dr. Zachary Smith had come up the elevator near the end of the exchange and calmly sauntered over to the control panel. "May I offer my assistance, Professor Robinson? I am certainly not an expert at this, but perhaps I can do something," he said placatingly in his smooth as oil voice.**

**"You can stay out of my way, Dr. Smith," John said acidly. He was still fuming over the exchange with Don and feeling guilty at the same time.**

**"But I am quite good with my hands, Professor," Smith bragged. Getting on someone’s good side, especially Professor Robinson’s, was an opportunity not to be missed. Especially when the good professor was upset with Major West, as he seemed to be now. Having an ally against the pilot was well worth cultivating.**

**"Shut up, Smith. I know you’re quite good with your hands, you got us into this mess in the first place," John snapped as he finished the analysis of his computations. "Robot, come here and check my figures," he called over his shoulder, totally ignoring the older man.**

**Smith huffed and walked away. Being spoken to by Professor Robinson in that manner was not a rarity, but it happened little enough to take him by surprise.However, he certainly wasn’t going to wait around to be insulted anymore. He almost ran into the Robot on his way to the elevator. "Get out of the way, you discombobulated bucket of bolts."**

**Silently, the Robot checked the professor’s figures and declared them sound. "The hyperdrive jump can be made anytime, Professor Robinson."**

**John had been staring out the viewport while the robot worked. Jerking his head around at the Robot’s monotone announcement, he nodded. "Thank you. Stay here and don’t let anyone get on the computer. I’ll be right back."**

**Knocking on Don and Judy’s cabin door, John pondered everyone’s lack of patience and good humor. Judy opened the door and looked at her father in concern. "Judy, may I borrow your ‘home’ for a moment, to talk to Don?"**

**"Sure, Dad." Turning to her husband, she said, "I’m going to see if Mom needs my help, Don." She smiled reassuringly at her father as she left.**

**"Don, I’m sorry for blowing up like that on the bridge. It was uncalled for," John said, softly.**

**The anger in Don’s eyes quickly faded. Nodding, he said, "John, I know how hard these jumps are on you; I’ve sensed it for some time. But they are hard on the rest of us, too. I guess this not knowing business is finally getting to us and making everyone short tempered. Maybe if there is a suitable planet after the next jump, we should take a short vacation. Judy even said that Will argued with Maureen during one of his lessons and stormed out. That definitely means we need a rest from this ship."**

**"We need a rest from this trip, Don. We need to know that there is an end to all of this wandering. We need some hope." John paced as much as he was able in the small room. "It has only been a month since we relished returning to the Jupiter II after our time underground on the Urgorrim world. How long is it going to be before we become angry enough to really hurt each other?"**

**"Physically, never, but there have been a lot of hurt feelings lately, John," Don said, quietly. "Maybe that’s a good reason to take a break on habitable planets, even if it may seem like we’re wasting time."**

**Pacing a bit more before answering, John finally stopped and smiled. "You’re right, Don. Let’s go and make that jump. Maybe fortune will smile on us this time." He laughed suddenly, "Usually it’s me calming you down."**

**Don laughed along with his father-in-law, his built up tension finding a release. "Well, just remember that if Smith gets on my nerves too much, please don’t calm me down."**

**Judy watched from the end of the corridor as her father and her husband walked out of the room. A great sigh of relief escaped, and she realized that she had been holding her breath throughout most of the exchange. She felt a bit guilty for eavesdropping, but knew how irritated Don had been and how stubborn her father could be. Except for the wedding, this past couple of weeks had been one instance after another of raw nerves and short tempers.**

**Judy realized that she, too, had been ill tempered, harboring resentment for the type of wedding she had the day before. It didn’t seem fair that after years of dreaming of the perfect wedding, she had simply exchanged vows on the deck of a spaceship, with only six people in attendance, including the groom. Sighing, Judy shoved those dismal thoughts out of, what she had been calling the airlock of useless sentiments. She had chosen to come with her parents on this journey; no one had forced her. In order to assuage her guilt over listening in on the men’s conversation, young Mrs. West went to her parent’s room to see if there was anything she could help her mother with.**

**The voice of her husband came over the intercom warning of the impending hyper-jump. A slight disorientation accompanied the shift from real space to hyperspace.**

* * *

**A week later a similar disorientation signaled the return to normal space. Another wondrous panorama of stars greeted everyone’s sight, this time accented with a distant gaseous nebula that filled up one side of the observation window.**

**Quickly doing the necessary computations, John pulled up the star charts, showing unfamiliar territory once again. He sighed, but this time voiced the commands to examine nearby star systems for compatible planets. Leaning back, the professor waited impatiently for the computer to analyze the data. Don anxiously looked over his shoulder.**

**"If this area doesn’t work out, I opt that we make some short range computations and jump without delay," Don told him.**

**"I agree."**

**"Dad," Penny said as she climbed up the stairwell. Her dark eyes were wide and full of excitement. "You’ve found a planet." It was more a statement and than a question.**

**"I don’t know, Penny, the results of the long range scan haven’t come up yet," John said, looking askance at his youngest daughter and feeling that somehow they were going to find a planet nearby.**

**"Hey, John, look at this!" Don exclaimed, pointing at the screen.**

**"Well, I’ll be. A very promising system with a very, very promising planet," John said with a smile. "Head for it, Don. I even believe we can compute a short jump for this one."**

**Don grinned. "Aye, aye, Captain, sir." And his hands flew over the control panel with the ease of one who had much practice. John simultaneously worked on the navigational computer and within minutes, the two men entered the commands, and the ship made the short jump to the large planet. Judy stood behind her husband and smiled. When the two men in her life worked together, they were like two cogs in the same wheel, meshing perfectly.**

**Within the day, the Jupiter II was orbiting the very inviting planet. The large sphere swinging majestically below them vaguely reminded everybody of Earth. Blue-green seas alternated with patches of brown, green and white. Clouds obscured many of the landforms, and everyone on board was excited at the prospects of being free, at least temporarily, from the ship. Only Smith stood wringing his hands, anticipating some evil creature lurking behind an equally evil tree or bush. Even vegetation scared him now.**

**"Will, I would like you to work with the robot on preparing a surface analysis," John said with a slight smile. "It will make up for the work you missed the other day when you snapped at your mother and walked out of her xenobiology class."**

**Will looked up at his father in bemusement. He had thought the incident had been forgotten. Sighing, he called the Robot over to the central computer and began working, realizing that the ‘punishment’ wasn’t really that bad.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Three](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes3.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	3. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
**Chapter Three - K’rthk’rnkl**

**A few days later, Penny Robinson stared through the observation window of the spacecraft at the lush landscape before her. Her emotions kept banging together in her mind, some happy and some fearful, and she wished she knew why. Ever since the Jupiter II had entered this solar system, she has been dealing with feelings of anxiety, mixed with feelings of absolute and unexplainable joy. And the scene before her was exactly the same one that Penny had seen in her dreams every night since they had entered this solar system.**

**The last time she had seen dream/visions like this was when her dad had been presumed dead, and for many nights up until the day he had returned, she had seen him in her mind. Dad’s Ugorrim friend had attributed the visions to a sort of heightened para-normal ability. The term both frightened and exhilarated her, and she shivered slightly in anticipation at what might lay in store for her on this new planet.**

**"Penny Robinson, do I need to adjust the temperature control on the control deck, or are you feeling ill?" the Robinson’s robot intoned.**

**"No, thank you, Robot," she told him, still staring out the window. "I’m fine. Just a little anxious at arriving on another unknown planet."**

**"My sensors detect no intelligent lifeforms in a ten kilometer radius. Nor are there any life forms of any size nearby, either."**

**"Yes, I know, Don told me," she answered, finally turning away from the greenery, (or rather blue-greenery) and looking around at the familiar surroundings of the space ship that had been home for most of the past three years. Her mouth twitched in distaste. She couldn’t fault the craft that had protected them all this time, but she could certainly feel heartily sick of it. Turning back to the lushness that beckoned outside, her feelings of anxiety melted away in anticipation of fresh air and sunshine and wide-open spaces.**

**"Tell Mom and Dad I am going exploring near the ship," Penny told the Robot.**

**"Explore while we gather what we need to replenish the replicator," the girl’s mother told her amiably. "It would be much better to do the things that are necessary and then take some time for pleasure."**

**That was another thing that had bothered her lately; there was no privacy on a ship the size of the Jupiter II. "But, Mom, we always take off right after we do what needs to be done, or else something dangerous forces us to leave," Penny grumbled. "Just for a little while? Please, Mom?" She felt there was a great need to be away from the ship and in the forest, exploring.**

**"Penny," her mother told her gently, "Let’s compromise. We’ll take a few hours to do what has to be done, and then you can have the afternoon to yourself."**

**Although that wasn’t exactly what Penny wanted, she realized that her mom was being very generous, and she knew, with a twinge of guilt, that while she was off looking around, the rest would most likely continue working. "Thanks, Mom," she said, giving her mother a hug. "I’ll start now."**

**After finding out from the robot the best plant materials to harvest, she gathered until mid-afternoon when she saw her parents taking a rest break. "I won’t go far. And I’ll be back by dark," Penny called out as she started down a faint trail leading away from the ship. Her parents’ call to be careful floated after her as the forest swallowed her up.**

**Penny felt a great release of tension and a build up of happiness. Eyes shining, she examined flowers, trees, and bushes. Delicate, gossamer winged animals flew languidly by, and her bright eyes followed the movement of the creatures as they bobbed up and down on the faint currents of air. Their bodies resembled tiny lizards, the scales iridescent and bright in the afternoon sunshine that filtered through the leaves of the trees.**

**With a slight thrill, Penny realized that these tiny creatures slightly resembled dragons of Earth tales. The tiny golden eyes gleamed, and one by one, the little animals gathered around her as though curious about this huge creature that had invaded their domain. Soon Penny felt as though she had a sparkling cloud floating around her head, and she laughed softly. Holding out her hands and standing very still, she waited to see what the tiny dragonettes would do. After hovering around her for several more minutes, two of the creatures finally drew closer to her outstretched fingers. A sea green one delicately lit on her finger and then settled in the palm of her hand. The second one, a golden yellow one, landed on her other hand.**

**Their tiny legs tickled, and it was all Penny could do to keep from giggling. Another one landed on her thumb, and two more vied for a spot on the fingers of her right hand. Their presence was soothing, and she found all of the tensions of weeks of travel in an enclosed space ship draining away. Without thinking, she began humming a bright tune she had learned some years earlier. Simultaneously, a dozen tiny heads turned and two dozen shiny eyes looked into hers. Then, to her surprise, the creatures started rocking in time to the humming. Taking a chance, Penny began singing softly. With squeaks of pleasure, her new friends flew up into the air, circling and then landing on her hands, shoulders and head.**

**Now she did giggle and slowly started down the path she was traveling when she had come across the little flutter-dragons. Most of them hung on tighter and though squeaking at the change of venue, nevertheless stayed with her. Penny walked a bit faster, feeling a need to do so. Six of the diminutive animals clung tightly to her as she continued on the course that almost seemed predetermined. Most of the rest flew along beside, above, or behind her.**

* * *

**Watching his daughter’s receding back, John continued to stare in bemusement at the incredible sight he had just witnessed. One of the tiny flying lizard creatures was hovering just one foot in front of his face, and he stood statue still as Penny had done. He, too, held his hand out, waiting to see what would happen. Fluttering around him, the silvery animal circled his head twice and lightly touched down on one finger. Almost immediately it wheeled back up into the air, squeaked sharply and flew in the direction that Penny had taken.**

**John noticed that while the closest Earth resemblance was that of a lizard with wings, the small animal had no mouth, such as most vertebrates had. Instead it seemed to have an appendage most suitable for extracting nectar from the various flowers he had seen growing profusely in the area. Relieved, John realized that at least Penny wouldn’t be bitten by the tiny creatures, although laughing inwardly, he felt that they wouldn’t bite her anyway. The squeaking, he figured, must have come from the movement of its legs or respiratory organs.**

**Shrugging, John decided to continue following a bit, just to make sure that Penny would be safe. Although all of the surveys had designated this to be a relatively flora free planet, and nothing had shown up that even remotely resembled anything dangerous, John was not unmindful of the readings that had been taken on the last planet they had visited. The Ugorrim planet was anything but uninhabited and had been much more dangerous than any of the planetary surveys had indicated.**

**While wanting his daughter to have fun and feel freedom from the confines of the Jupiter II, John certainly wasn’t going to assume from the statistics that there were no dangers out here. On Earth, if he had followed his teen-age daughter around, he would have been accused of being paranoid, but here in unknown corners of the galaxy, he had learned the hard way, that this kind of paranoia was more on the order of prudence.**

**Using the skills he had been taught by the Rylorr, John silently slipped down the faintly marked trail that Penny had taken. What puzzled him the most, was that his daughter didn’t seem to be aimlessly wandering and exploring, but seemed to be walking with a purpose. And John remembered the little bits and pieces of unusual behavior that she had exhibited since they had found this solar system several days ago, wondering if it was another manifestation of the para-normal abilities that Rrangruk had hinted at.**

* * *

**Penny continued down the path until it came to a hillside, almost steep enough to be considered a mountain. Looking up, she decided that climbing was something she was unwilling to do at the moment. But somewhere amongst these rocks was what had been ‘calling’ to her. A couple of the flutter-dragons extricated themselves from her hair and wandered around the base of the hill. Small bushes and stunted trees dotted the hillside; their roots entrenched tightly between the boulders. All of the flutter-dragons congregated near one particularly large boulder, squeaking furiously at her.**

**Going to investigate, Penny found a small cavity behind the boulder and squeezed herself into it to find out what had so agitated her tiny friends. The cavity opened up into a small cave, and Penny hesitated for a few minutes. It was extremely dark, but a slight glow ahead of her indicated a light source beyond. The flutter-dragons’ squeaking echoed in the cave, and the animals hovered at the end of the narrow cavern. Although the surveys had indicated no sentient life forms in the area, Penny couldn’t shake the idea that the flutter-dragons were trying to lead her somewhere.**

**Taking a deep breath, she followed the glowing-eyed creatures into the cavern, and feeling the walls for added security, she slowly shuffled along until she went through another narrowed area into a large cave. Penny’s eyes widened in amazement at the sight before her. Obviously created by sentient creatures, this cave was an Aladdin-like wonder filled with artifacts that were both beautiful to the eye and delightful to the hand. Walking around in awe at the overwhelming splendor, the girl wondered what purpose there was to keeping all of these marvels hidden in a cave.**

**Stooping down, Penny fingered a beautiful cup of what appeared to be fine crystal with delicate etchings on the side. Several bracelets caught her eye, but she didn’t touch those, although the thought occurred to her that Judy might like one. Beyond the dishes and jewelry, there were artifacts that she could not begin to imagine the purpose of. Things that looked like balls with decorations on them, knife handles without the blades, cubes of various sizes, disks of swirling colors. A small cube of slightly fluorescent bluish-green caught her eye, probably because it was much plainer than the rest.**

**This she did pick up and examined it from all sides. For some reason, this plainer artifact almost seemed to beckon to her, and she continued to hold it while looking around the rest of the cavern. It seemed to amplify the warmth of her body and return it to her, adding to the comfort she had felt when the flutter-dragons had walked across her hands.**

**‘ _You are very astute, Penny Robinson_ ,’ a voice came into her head. ‘ _This is, perhaps the best gift you could pick_.’**

**The voice, if it had been vocal, would have probably been very soft and whispery, Penny thought. Almost as if it was very tired or weak. The girl looked around and finally saw, near the far end of the cave, in a dimly lit area, a small creature only slightly resembling the flying creatures that still hovered around her.**

**As she approached him, (somehow she knew the alien was male), she saw that a very light reddish-gold downy fur covered his entire body. A silky, bluish cloth was lightly draped over one shoulder and down his torso, almost toga-like. Where a mouth would have been on a human, there was an appendage that looked much like a short straw. Obviously, this creature fed on nectar or some similar fluid. Long, thin, delicate fingers lay quietly across his gaunt chest. Small, upswept, pointed ears gave the alien an almost pixie-like appearance.**

**The eyes, though, were the feature that most resembled the flutter-dragons: golden, glowing and kindly. An ancient sadness seemed to reside in those eyes along with those things which could be joyful. The alien’s eyes reminded her so much of her Grandpa Robinson’s eyes on the eve of their launch. He had appeared so proud of the accomplishments of his youngest son, but his eyes had held the deep sadness of loss that Penny now realized was more than just saying good-bye to a child. It was the sadness of the death of someone close. And with a jolt, she wondered how Grandpa had felt when the Jupiter II had been reported lost and out of control.**

**Penny stood still, waiting for the little alien to do or say something, and then realized that he had addressed her by her name. "How did you know my name, sir?" she asked, almost in a whisper.**

**‘ _I have felt your presence for several days, Penny. You and several others, but you most of all. You have the gift of sight, even though it is weak and untrained_ ,’ he paused and closed his glowing eyes for a moment.**

**"Are you all right?" Penny asked, stepping a few paces closer until she was right in front of him. As he opened his eyes again, he beckoned her to sit down.**

**‘ _I am old, very old, Penny; as old as you are young_.’ A fluttering, almost like a chuckle, came into her mind along with the whispery thought-words. ‘ _I am called K’rthk’rnkl, or was when there were those left to call me._ ’ Penny felt a hint of sadness with that thought, and knew that he was the only one of his kind in this area.**

**‘ _I am the last_ ,’ came the simple thought, emotionless. ‘ _But it is so good to be able to communicate with someone before I go to the beyond_.’**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Four](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes4.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
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	4. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
****

**Chapter Four - Hopes and Fears**

**"There are no others of your kind anywhere on this planet who could be with you?" Penny asked, hopefully.**

**_'I am the last, Penny Robinson. There are no others anywhere_.' A pause. _'You, however, belong to a race with many, but there are few here in this part of the galaxy._ '**

**Penny nodded. "We are trying to find our way back to Earth, or at least to Alpha Centauri, which is where we were trying to go when we became lost," she explained.**

**_'Perhaps the gift in your hand may help you_ ,' K'rthk'rinkl said kindly.**

**"How?" Penny asked hopefully.**

**_'Humans are intelligent beings; you will figure it out_.' K'rthk'rinkl saw the dejected slump of the girl's shoulders. ' _A decision was made to send my people to this planet of exile.This planet provided us with everything, except initiative.There was no more development; there was no curiosity.We were safe, but we stagnated. You do not understand, Penny; you are too young. Your father and mother would understand_.' Again the little alien closed his eyes for a short time and then shifted his body as though getting more comfortable.**

**Several of the flutter-dragons brought what looked to Penny to be a small container to K'rthk'rinkl, but he motioned them away. ' _Penny, I believe that what your mind and heart led you to can help you and your family, but I will leave it to you to figure out how. All I ask is if you could please stay with me and keep me company for awhile. The timing of your arrival is very fortunate_ ,' he paused. ‘ _Or perhaps it is more than fortune_.'**

**Penny sat next to the diminutive little alien and talked about her family and what had brought her to this planet, which K'rthk'rnkl had told her was called K'rt'rm. He told her about his people and more specifically his own family. The telepathic link made pictures more vivid than words could, and she felt that she knew the little alien's family intimately after communicating with him for awhile.**

**"How do you make your thoughts in my language?" Penny finally asked in curiosity. "At least it seems like it's in my language. Telepathy is strange to me."**

**_'I have been hearing your thoughts since you entered our solar system, Penny. At first they were just pictures, but I learned your language and can focus my thoughts to make them more easily understood by you_.'**

**"Oh," Penny said simply. "K'rthk'rnkl, I understand what you said about not helping us a lot, but why can't you tell me anything about this? I mean, the C'ringin modified our engines and made them hyperdrive capable. They helped us."**

**_'The agreement between your people and the C'ringin was just that, an agreement between your two races, and I will not judge it. But as for the cube you hold, perhaps the reason I am not telling you more is that I am old and set in my ways. Maybe I know it won't take you long to figure out how to use the device. And it is a device, nothing magical, although it will seem that way. Maybe it will seem like a much more special gift if you figure out how it's used entirely on your own_ ,' K'rthk'rnkl told her. He sighed and sagged against the wall of the cave.**

**"K'rthk'rnkl, please, is there something I can do? Are you all right?" Penny asked, frightened, knowing the alien was referring to his own death. She wished she didn't feel so helpless. Opening his eyes, which seemed to have lost some of their luster, the alien sighed mentally.**

**_'Oh, child, it is just my time to go. You have made it so much easier for me. I have been so lonely for so long, and your presence has made my heart happy again_ ,' K'rthk'rnkl mentally smiled, and Penny couldn't help smiling a little herself. _'I am confident that you will find happiness from our meeting, too. I know that. Your father is waiting for you outside. Please have him help you close off this cave. There are too many dangerous things in here_.' K'rthk'rnkl didn't say anything for a short while, and Penny leaned close to see he was still breathing. _'Go now, Penny Robinson. Go to your father. I am ready now_.'**

**_'Good-bye, K'rthk'rnkl_ ,' Penny said mentally as she stood up slowly. Reluctantly she put the little device in her pocket, and leaving the large cavern, she made her way back out into the beginnings of twilight. Just as K'rthk'rnkl had said, her father was waiting near the entrance, but she could feel no resentment for the obvious fact that he had followed her, just gratitude that he was there at this time. **

**"Penny, are you all right?" he asked her. She nodded and then grabbing her father in an emotional embrace, started crying softly. He comforted her but said nothing for a few minutes. Finally he told her gently, "Tell me what happened. I felt that you were safe, but that's all."**

**When she had regained control, Penny told him briefly about K'rthk'rnkl but didn't tell him about the cube. That would come later. As she was finishing, an entire flock of the little flutter-dragons came streaming out of the cave and flew in ever-higher circles above their heads, squeaking mournfully.**

**"I think your friend has peacefully passed on, Penny. Shall we go ahead and fulfill his wish before it gets too dark to see?" John asked his daughter as she watched the little lizards in astonishment. Wiping her tears with her sleeve, Penny agreed. They worked at pushing rocks and boulders down from above. Finally, as the daylight became shadowy dusk, both were satisfied that they had done the job that K'rthk'rnkl had requested.**

**"I can come back tomorrow in full daylight and make sure the entrance is hidden well enough. Let's get back to the ship before your mother sends out a posse for us," John told her softly.**

**"Thanks, Dad," Penny said as they made their way through the dark forest.**

**Several of the flutter-dragons accompanied them all the way to the Jupiter II, their glowing eyes acting almost as beacons.**

**John laughed softly. "We are going to have to redefine the meaning of sentience when we get back to the ship. Pretty smart little creatures."**

**Penny agreed, watching as they flew up into the night sky and back into the forest.**

**That night in her cabin, Penny pulled out the small cube and turned it over and over in her hands, unable to figure out how such a pretty but non-descript little item could help them with their problem. Its iridescent blue colors seemed to swirl and flow, pulling apart and coalescing, but the surface was perfectly smooth. No indentations or raised areas that her fingers could detect. Finally, she sighed, placed it on the little table next to her bed, and after pondering it awhile longer, fell asleep.**

**The next morning, while doing her chores, (she was in charge of the laundry this week, something that she felt was boring, but which her mom kept telling her was much, much easier then when she was Penny's age,) Penny wondered what would be going on right now on Earth. What time of the year would it be, what would her cousins be doing; would they be in school, or out for vacation. Putting up the clothes, Penny hunted for the Robot, finding him doing a diagnostic of the life support systems.**

**"Robot, what time of year would it be on Earth?" she asked.**

**"According to my chronometer, it is December 15, 2010. There could be a variance in my calculations because of the radiation storm that took us off course at the beginning of our voyage, but I believe that I have figured correctly," it intoned promptly. "And my understanding is that it is the season which most people on Earth celebrate as Christmas."**

**"Yes, it is, Robot," Penny said with a sigh. Christmas was the time of year she missed most, and now she wished that she had never asked the question. Somehow in their wanderings and the dangers of their journey, holidays had been entirely neglected or only cursorily observed.**

**"My dear Penny, why are you so sad?" the voice of Dr. Smith asked her. The girl jumped slightly, startled, not having heard the older man approach.**

**"The Robot just told me that it would be Christmas on Earth," she said softly. "And I am missing all of my cousins and other relatives on Earth."**

**"Well, perhaps we could have some kind of celebration here," Dr. Smith mused. Penny looked up, curious at what the doctor was proposing. Gazing slyly at the girl, he continued. From the look on Penny's face, he had hooked her with his proposal.**

**"Oh, we could give gifts and get a small tree, have a big dinner and sing Christmas songs, whatever is customary for your family," he said brightly.**

**"What would we use for gifts, Dr. Smith?" Penny asked. This was just the opening the older man was looking for. He had heard the references to the hidden cave and the wonders contained therein, and if he could work his way into the good graces of the Robinson girl, maybe she would show him the location. "You know, I have done a bit of looking around and have noticed that many of the rocks on this planet contain raw gemstones which could be polished and given as gifts. There must be a mountain or large barren hill somewhere nearby where I could find just the right kind of rocks. Mmmm," Smith rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his hand. "You wouldn't know of such a place, would you?"**

**"Well, yes, there is a fairly large hill nearby. Let me show you, and maybe I can find some, too," Penny told him happily; thinking of how nice it would be to have some kind of celebration.**

**Soon they had reached the site where Penny had found the cave. "Penny, dear, go back to the ship and bring a bag or container of some kind. I'm afraid that in my excitement, I forgot to bring something to carry the gems in."**

**Penny looked dubiously at him, but then just shrugged and complied, turning and running back down the trail. The flutter-dragons squeaked testily at the old man before following their friend.**

**It was quite easy to figure out where the cave had been, and with some effort, Smith uncovered the entrance enough to squeeze in. Pulling out the small flashlight he had brought with him, he shined it all around and then discovered the small crevice. It was a tight fit, but he finally squeezed through. When he reached the main cave, Smith gasped in wonder at the sights before him. Touching and picking up almost everything, he finally found a few things that he felt might be worth something and piled them near the exit of the main cave.**

**Looking near the other end of the cave, Smith screamed and dropped the flashlight when he saw the dead alien sitting against a boulder and seemingly staring at him with sightless eyes. The light went out and he began to panic in the almost pitch darkness. Groping, Smith finally found the narrow entrance, but he was so frightened that he left everything behind except what was in his hand as he slid and scrabbled his way back outside.**

* * *

**John looked up in surprise when he suddenly realized that there were about ten of the little flutter-dragons, as Penny called them, hovering around his head and squeaking furiously. One landed on his shoulder and tugged at the fabric. A few of them flittered off in the direction of the cave he and Penny had covered, and then they came back when he just stared at them. Finally, John wondered if their purpose was to get him to follow. Shrugging, he put down the tools and started after the little lizards.**

**Penny came out and saw the diminutive creatures flitting along the trail with her dad following. Feeling their alarm, she dropped the sack that was in her hand and started down the same trail. She kept seeing Dr. Smith in the cave and realized with a surge of panic that the devious old man had tricked her into revealing the location of K'rthk'rnkl's hoard of artifacts. And she remembered the warning that some of the items were dangerous. Penny started running to catch up with Dad to warn him.**

**She didn't catch up with him and surmised that Dad had felt the same urgency that she had. He was already near the cave by the time she approached the clearing. Penny heard Dr. Smith's yell of panic and saw him slide out of the entrance of the cave, an artifact in his hands, something that resembled a ball. It's golden yellow surface shimmered and shone in the afternoon sunlight. "Smith, drop whatever you've found in the cave and leave it. It could be dangerous," she heard Dad say.**

**Dr. Smith just clutched the ball closer to his chest. A burst of blinding light shot out from between the doctor's fingers and struck her dad squarely in the chest. With a startled cry, he fell backwards to the ground and lay still. Penny's scream echoed against the rocky hillside.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Five](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes5.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
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	5. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
****

**Chapter Five - Telepathy** ****

**Dr. Smith also screamed and dropped the weapon. "Oh, dear. Oh, dear," he moaned, wringing his hands.**

**Penny ran to her dad and felt for a pulse. To her relief, it was still strong and steady. The weapon had not left a mark on him. "Dad!" she cried, shaking him. Looking up at Dr. Smith, tears brimming but unshed, she ordered, "Go get Mom and Don!" The doctor continued moaning and wringing his hands. "Go now. Hurry!" she screamed. That seemed to snap Dr. Smith out of his own misery, and he murmured 'oh, dear' one more time and then ran up the path to the Jupiter II.**

**Several of the flutter-dragons had flapped down and were perched on the ground next to her dad. "I wish there was something that you could do to help," she told them softly. The little animals gave small squeaks that seemed almost like sounds of understanding, and Penny remembered what Dad had said about sentience. She wondered if there might possibly be something they could do in this situation.**

**One lizard that had the sheen of iridescent silver made a kind of floating hop and landed on her dad's shoulder, squeaking softly and turning its head to one side. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Penny would have found the little creature's antics amusing. As it was, it just seemed to underscore the presence of some sort of intelligent thought.**

**Clearing her mind as best as she could despite the stress she was feeling, Penny tried to make the clearest picture she could of the little flutter-dragons and then of her father, trying to get across her need. The silver one turned its head and looked at her before walking down from her dad's shoulder to his chest. The tiny lizards swooped and danced in the air above their heads; then several more of them landed on her dad. Stretching out their necks, they squeaked imperiously.**

**Penny wasn't totally sure what the result of this little exercise would be, but even she was surprised when Dad slowly stirred, yawned and blinked sleepily at the little creatures that were staring at him with their golden eyes. "All right, already, I'm awake," he mumbled. Struggling to a sitting position, he looked at Penny with a bemused expression. The lizards rose into the air, calling to each other triumphantly. "I believe they're gloating, the little brats. Wish they'd left me alone. Feel so tired."**

**"I asked them to help wake you up, Dad," Penny told him. "I was worried about you."**

**"Smith had some sort of weapon. And he set it off." He looked up sharply at her. "What did he do with it?" he asked. She pointed to the beautifully colored ball resting innocently on the ground near them.**

**Don ran out of the forest toward them and arrived out of breath. "John, are you all right?" Nodding, John stiffly got to his feet. He felt lethargic and slightly disoriented, as though he had been up too many nights. Don held on to his arm to steady him.**

**Maureen ran up to him, clearly relieved to find him conscious and apparently all right despite his ordeal. "John, are you hurt?"**

**"No," he said, "In fact, I feel no aches or pains at all. I just feel as though I have been deprived of about four nights of sleep." Staring at the ball near his feet, he tried to reason out what had happened as best as he could, considering the sluggish state of his thinking processes. "The perfect defensive weapon. It only disables attackers by stripping them of their energy. And there appear to be no firing studs; it must work on the thoughts of the one attacked."**

**Don carefully picked it up and handed it to John, who examined it and just as carefully handed it back. John had felt nothing but the smooth surface, no place where any kind of beam could have come from it. Leaning on the pilot, he sighed. "Let's get back to the Jupiter II; I certainly feel like I need a nap." Looking up at the flutter-dragons spiraling their dance in the sky, he laughed softly. "And thank you," he said to them.**

**Then he looked back at his youngest daughter. "You said you asked them to help you?" he queried; suddenly remembering what Penny had said when he had awakened.**

**She nodded with a smile. "You said something about sentience, and I wondered if maybe they might be able to do something to help. So I asked them." John just shook his head in wonder.**

**"Maybe they can make Smith disappear," Don quipped as they slowly made their way back up the trail. "By the way, where did that useless piece of baggage get to? He was right behind us when we left the Jupiter II."**

**"Probably hiding," John said with a short laugh. "I suppose he figured that if I wasn't in any condition to wring his neck, then you would be."**

**"Or I would be," Maureen said evenly. John stared at her in amazement. She had been the one member of the crew who had had the most patience with their stowaway/saboteur over the past few years, but it was apparent in the face of the danger to her husband, that even her great patience was being stretched thin.**

**As soon as they reached the space ship, John headed for his and Maureen's cabin and within minutes was asleep. Maureen pulled out a hand-held diagnostic and checked him over while he slept. By all indications, it was just as John had said, a simple case of exhaustion. She sat down next to him, and marveling at the alien technology that had incapacitated him in this non-violent way, gently touched his cheek.**

**Maureen was tired, too. But her weariness was due more to the emotional toll that the journey had taken on her lately. She had mourned for John for almost a month not too long ago, thinking him dead, and when Dr. Smith had come into camp screaming that John had been hurt, the cold fingers of abject fear had clutched at her heart once more.**

**Sighing in gratitude, Maureen was filled with happiness that her husband had been spared again, but wondered how many more of these dangerous situations she could handle. Leaning over, she kissed him tenderly. John murmured something and smiled in his sleep. She, too, smiled and then quietly slipped out of their cabin to get some more things done before having to start the evening meal.**

**Dr. Smith didn't show up for dinner, which caused Maureen very little concern. Afterwards, she took a plate into the cabin for John, not having had the heart to wake him for dinner. "How long have I been asleep?" he asked, awakening at her entrance.**

**"Twenty years, my dear," Maureen said, grinning. "You are Rip Van Robinson. Actually you slept about seven hours."**

**John laughed. "Feel like twenty years would be perfect." Dinner was attacked with great enthusiasm and finished in short order. "What did Don do with the ball?" Maureen pointed to the locked cabinet recessed into one wall of their cabin. "Good, I don't like the idea of that thing lying around for Smith to get hold of again. In fact, Don and I need to go and seal that cave off before our resident opportunist gets the courage to go back in. The next time we may not be so lucky. The idiot may blow us into kingdom come," he said grimly.**

**A short time later, he and Don broke out two laser rifles from the arms locker and armed with flashlights, started down the ramp of the Jupiter II. The beam of Don's flashlight caught Dr. Smith squarely in the eyes as the older man was stealthily making his way into the ship. Seeing the flash of light playing on the stocks of the rifles, he screamed and throwing up his arms, pivoted and ran back into the forest. "Don't shoot me. I didn't mean to do it. I swear, I didn't mean it," he screamed.**

**The two men looked at one another and then started laughing. Quickly regaining control, Don glared at the darkness where Smith had disappeared, "Serves the jerk right. If I hadn't been so startled myself, I think I would have shot him."**

**That comment started John laughing again. "As much as I enjoyed this, we need to get that cave sealed off, Don," he said, still chuckling at the memory of the look on Smith's face.**

**They started down the path to the cave. Their powerful flashlights caught several nocturnal creatures rustling along the forest floor. Most were small and very quickly disappeared when the unexpected light hit their eyes. Sounds of various life forms chirped, whistled and squeaked in the darkness.**

**Soon the men had reached the cave, and checking to make sure that Smith hadn't taken refuge inside, they aimed their rifles at various boulders, causing the lighter elements to fuse together into a tight bond with the surrounding rocks and boulders. "Rest in peace, K'rthk'rnkl," John murmured when they had both determined that the cave entrance was sealed. "Hopefully those who find the cave next will have the self control and wisdom to handle what's inside."**

**The next several days passed in idyllic bliss. The flutter-dragons were constantly in attendance around the space ship although none could be coaxed inside. Whenever he was outside, John usually found the silver one close by and began to wonder what kind of bonds these little lizards formed. Penny had at least a half dozen that attended to her, and various others seemed to be attaching themselves to other members of the family.**

**Laughing to himself, John remembered the previous evening when he had found the newlyweds sitting under a tree just before the reddish-gold sun set majestically behind the trees. Above their heads were two flutter-dragons, tiny tails twined, softly squeaking to one another.**

**There had been a hint of annoyance at the lizards' presence initially. It was a bit disconcerting to be working on the chariot or some other piece of equipment and look up to see a pair of golden eyes boring right into your own, but as the crew had become accustomed to their presence, John welcomed them. It was like his mother's cat, Frodo. A few moments in a rocking chair stroking that animal, and one's cares seemed to vanish.**

**"What's on your mind, dear, that is so pleasant?" Maureen asked, slipping up behind him.**

**"Just thinking of the therapeutic value these little flutter-dragons have had on us since we've been here. They seem to have adopted us," he said with a smile.**

**"Yes, I agree, the little blue one follows me everywhere but into the ship." She put her arm around John's waist. Looking up, she saw the objects of their conversation dancing in tight loops around one another, chirping happily.**

**"John, have you thought about the fact that this seems to be the ideal planet?" Maureen asked quietly.**

**"Are you suggesting that we stay here and stop trying to find our way back to Earth?"**

**"Yes, I suppose I am. This is the most beautiful planet we have landed on yet. And it is, by the alien's own admission, uninhabited by intelligent life forms. All of my surveys indicate that the weather changes only moderately, and the soil is rich," Maureen explained.**

**John pondered a few minutes before answering. "We have only been here a few days, Maureen, so I can't help but feel somewhat hesitant. Call it paranoia if you will. But I do want to remain here for a long enough time to make sure the Jupiter II is space worthy and also to make sure we are space worthy as well," he said softly and then paused. "And if, after that time, we both feel strongly about staying, then maybe this is our 'Alpha Centauri.' "**

**Maureen nodded. She pretty much had expected an answer like that from John and felt that he had been more than fair, considering all of the unexpected dangers they had faced on planets that had checked out as safe. "Sounds like a fair compromise." She looked back up and saw the two lizards perched on the chariot, squeaking and nuzzling each other.**

**"At the very least, Maureen, I have the star charts, and we can retrace our journey if we choose to," John told her, leaning over and giving her a kiss.**

**"And you're right, it is a beautiful and idyllic planet."**

**"By the way, I heard about that lovely pond about a quarter of a kilometer north of here, with a little waterfall and large rocks to sun on. Let's go swimming. We haven't done that since we left Earth," she said with a mischievous smile.**

**Grinning, John said, "How about later, Don and Judy are down there now."**

**"We can join them, John. It will be fun; something different for a change," Maureen coaxed.**

**"The newlyweds are trying out something my granddaddy and his buddies used to do at the local pond," John quipped with a broad smile.**

**Maureen pondered his statement a moment, and then she blushed slightly. "They aren't!"**

**"Oh, but they are," John answered and began laughing. Maureen quickly joined him. The flutter-dragons danced merrily in the sky above the Jupiter II.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Six](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes6.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
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	6. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
**Chapter Six - The Cube Knows**

**The only person seemingly uncharmed by the planet's attributes other than Dr. Smith was, surprisingly, Penny. Two more days passed, and Maureen noticed her moodiness. "John, I'm worried about Penny. She seems depressed and she won't talk to me about it."**

**"I've noticed, too, Maureen. I believe that she has even discouraged some of her flutter-dragons as well," he said half seriously.**

**"John, there is something bothering her. You know how happy she was when we first landed and now..."**

**Sighing, John agreed. "It may be that she's unhappy about the death of the alien. She did have a telepathic link with him. And it could also be the fact that she's a teenager and well.... I really don't have any answers, but if it will help, I'll try to talk to her this evening."**

**"Yes, I wish you would," Maureen said with a sigh.**

**But John never had a chance. At dinner Penny ate but little and then excused herself, going directly to her cabin. When John tapped on her door a short time later, she was apparently already asleep because she didn't answer.**

**"She'll get over it, Dad," Will quipped, passing by on his way to his own cabin to get a chess game to play with the robot. John stood at his youngest daughter's door and mused for a moment longer before turning away and returning to the observation deck.**

* * *

**Penny was perplexed and extremely irritated with herself. She knew that there was nothing she could do about the fact that she missed Earth and her relatives, especially knowing that it was almost Christmas there. But she didn't know why she hadn't said anything to the rest of the family. As much as she disliked Dr. Smith at times, when he had suggested a Christmas celebration, she thought it was a good idea, even though it turned out he was only trying to get her to reveal the location of the cave. So why hadn't she followed through on it?**

**Sighing, Penny rolled over on her narrow bed and picked up the cube, wishing for the hundredth time that she could figure out its secret. Turning it over again and again, the girl knew there was nothing on the outside that gave any clues and no way to figure out its contents. Holding it tightly in her hand, she let herself drift into a dreamy state of yesterday when she had visited her grandparents not too long before the launch. She pictured Grandpa's face and the old house that he lived in with Grandma and Frodo, the cat.**

**Suddenly her consciousness jerked; she felt slightly disoriented and almost adrift, as though she were floating in space. Then Penny fell into a dreamless sleep....and awakened on a couch. 'A couch?' she thought to herself. There were no couches on the Jupiter II. It was dark and she reached for the light switch that was by her bed, but instead bumped against a small wooden end table, making a porcelain figurine wobble dangerously. Catching it, Penny placed the object upright again and then looked around in the dim light.**

**It looked much like a room in a house: a regular room in a regular house. She saw the outline of a couple of easy chairs, and the moonlight filtered in and reflected on a knick knack cabinet. Penny could only believe that she was dreaming, but she felt keenly awake. Confused, she groped over to the sliding glass door where the moonlight was coming through and looked outside. Her eyes widened as she saw a familiar swing set, tree house and trampoline. Swinging around in shock, Penny knocked an antique pewter mug from a little table and sent it clattering to the floor.**

**Alarmed, Penny reached down and started feeling for the object. Suddenly the lights came on, and she held her hand in front of her face to block out some of the intense light. Finally taking her hand away, she looked into the startled and frightened face of her grandfather. Frodo was making his way around Grandpa's ankles in a tight figure eight, thinking it time for breakfast. The elder Robinson had a fireplace poker in one hand and a cell phone in the other. Both fell out of his hands as he recognized the girl in front of him. "Penny!" He exclaimed. "Penny, when did you get back? They said your ship had been destroyed in space, but I didn't believe those idiots. Where is your dad?" Tears trickled down his cheeks. Penny was even more confused now.**

**"Why didn't someone contact me and let me know?" He walked over to her quickly and grasped Penny in a great hug. She smelled the faint odor of his favorite cologne, and slipping the cube in her pocket, she hugged him back. This was no dream, she decided. The tears began to flow down her cheeks, and she laid her head against his chest. Startled, Penny realized that her head rested in the middle of his chest. He was just a little shorter than Dad. She had not realized before how much she had grown.**

**"Oh, Grandpa, I've missed you and Grandma so much. All I wanted to do was to come and see you," she said.**

**"Oh, Penny, your grandma died last year. It's just me and Frodo now, dear." He guided Penny over to the couch. "Tell me how you got back."**

**Realizing that Grandma was gone caused Penny to start crying. She had enjoyed the company of the diminutive woman who always seemed to be able to say the right things to people and make them feel better. Grandpa held her close and rocked her as though she were four again instead of fourteen. Penny pulled out the cube and showed it to him. Wiping her tears, she explained, "This is an alien artifact, Grandpa. I used it to teleport here, but I can't stay. Everyone else is out there in the galaxy somewhere on the Jupiter II."**

**Grandpa looked stunned. "I just can't believe how much you have grown," he said and kept staring at her in amazement. "Three years is a long time to miss in the life of a grandchild. Could that thing bring all of you back home?"**

**"I don't know, Grandpa. Somehow I keep getting the impression that a person has to be touching it to be able to use it. I can't explain the feeling." She paused and shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "I've been told that I may have para-normal abilities. The alien who let me have this said I had 'sight.' I don't question the feelings that I have like that anymore, even though they confuse me sometimes."**

**Grandpa nodded. "Well, my dear, don't do anything that you and especially your parents feel is dangerous."**

**For the next several hours they talked, and Penny related as many of the important events as she could. Frodo had jumped up on the couch and was sitting in her lap, kneading and purring. She stroked him and felt great contentment.**

**Mainly, she described how Will had grown and talked about Mom, Dad and Judy. Grandpa listened intently as though he were trying to soak up mental pictures of each of his loved ones. "And Judy married Don West a couple of weeks ago." She paused.**

**"Judith is a married woman. Well," Grandpa said quietly, his voice choked with pride. "Tell me about the wedding. Can I assume that your dad officiated?" Penny nodded and then proceeded to tell about the wedding and what precipitated it. She saw Grandpa wince when she described the adventure on the Ugorrim world.**

**"Dear Lord, what you all have been through," he murmured. "Poor Johnny," he added, mostly to himself. "Somehow, while you were talking, I assumed that you had left some things out, mainly the hardships." They both sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, the only sounds being those of Frodo purring and the mantel clock ticking over the fireplace.**

**Penny was startled when she finally noticed the lovely little Christmas tree in a corner. It was covered with pictures in little golden frames. She quietly walked over to look at them. Each one contained a picture of one of the Robinson relatives, living and dead for several generations. Penny found Grandma and then saw pictures of herself and her family. Astonished, she realized that she had grown; in the picture she looked so young. Then she realized that Grandpa was standing next to her. "I will have to find a picture of Don West and add him to the tree, too."**

**"It's so beautiful, Grandpa."**

**"Oh, Penny, there is so much that we can do together. Almost all of your cousins and aunts and uncles are coming..." he paused and looked at his watch, "today and most will be here for Christmas." He paused and looked at his granddaughter carefully. "You haven't told your father about this little trip, have you?"**

**"No, I didn't know what this device could do. I just fell asleep wanting to come here so badly it hurt. I felt something funny happening, and then I woke up on your couch," Penny explained. "Grandpa, let me go back and leave a note. Dad and Mom wouldn't mind me staying for at least a day or two, and then they can come and visit."**

**Excitement bubbled in the old man's heart. "How marvelous that such a tiny thing can do so much. But you're right, you must at least leave a note or something so the rest know you are safe," the elder Robinson stated. He watched as Penny took the cube out and looked at it in intense concentration. "Wait," he said, and handed her a plate, one of several that had been made over the years from pictures of her family. This one was of the family right after they had been chosen for the Jupiter II expedition. Penny was only seven in that one.**

**Then the elder Robinson watched as his granddaughter leaned back on the couch, closed her eyes, and began to concentrate. After a moment her face became serene. The plate was clutched in one hand and the cube in the other. Frodo started over to the couch, so bending down, the old man stopped the fluffy cat, holding him close and stroking him. Suddenly, Penny was no longer on the couch, and Frank Robinson was left to wonder if what he had experienced was only a dream.**

* * *

**Penny awoke back in her cabin, wondering basically the same thing. But when she looked down and saw the plate, she knew for sure that the device had taken her to Earth and that it was not a dream. Quickly finding her recorder, she made a disk explaining what was going on and that she would be back in a couple of days. Not knowing how to deal with Grandma's death, she simply left out all reference to her, concentrating on Grandpa and the visit of her cousins. She also made it a point to let the rest of the family know what day it was on Earth. It would be wonderful to celebrate with the family on the actual day of Christmas when she returned.**

**Glancing at a chronometer, she saw that the cube had pretty much brought her back in real time. She had been gone from the Jupiter II for approximately the same amount of time as she had spent at Grandpa Robinson's in western Massachusetts. Leaving the disk on top of the plate, she cracked open the door to her cabin, and in the quiet of the early morning hours, Penny Robinson left the ship to go to Grandpa's once again.**

* * *

**The next morning, after Maureen had fixed breakfast and called everyone to the table, she was startled to see John walk in, pale and disconcerted. He had a disk in one hand and a plate of some kind in the other. "John, what is it?" she said, feeling a hint of fear creep into her mind.**

**"Penny..." he said softly, and then acted as though he could say nothing more.**

**The fear bloomed large and rampant. "John, what is it?"**

**Hearing the fearful tone of his wife's voice, John shook his head as much to clear his thoughts as to deny her question. The others were staring in alarm, waiting for the explanation, which they knew, would be forthcoming. "No....Penny is on Earth."**

**"What??" Don asked, incredulous. "John, what are you saying?"**

**"I am saying that when Penny met the alien in the cave, he allowed her one gift, but when she chose, he wouldn't tell her what it was for. She had to figure it out. Last night she stumbled on the answer accidentally and was teleported to my parents' house in western Massachusetts. She came back to leave a note and let us know that Dad wanted her to visit for a day or two," John paused.**

**"But that is so fantastic," Don protested, then he, too, paused a moment. "But I suppose it isn't any more fantastic then what we've been through."**

**"Dad sent this in case we had trouble believing such a fantastic story," John said with a wry smile.**

**"Did Penny say how Grandma and Grandpa are doing?" Will asked in excitement, a bit puzzled by his dad's sad countenance.**

**"She only said that Grandpa was well and very excited to know that we were still alive since we had more or less been presumed dead," he answered vaguely. "Maureen, I'm going for a short walk; don't bother to save me any breakfast." Laying the plate and disk on the table, he walked slowly into the forest. The little silver flutter-dragon that had been sitting on the back of John's chair squeaked mournfully and slowly flew into the morning sky.**

**"Will, go and get a disk player." Will heard the anxiety in his mother's voice and quickly complied. When he returned and she had played the disk, Maureen knew exactly why John was despondent.**

**"Mom, Penny didn't say a word about Grandma," Judy stated, studying her mother's face intently. Her mother nodded.**

**"Penny wouldn't come right out and say it, but I believe she implied that Grandma Robinson is dead. Your father picked up on that right away, knowing that your grandmother had been in poor health just before the launch." Maureen pushed her plate aside. "As soon as you're finished, leave some breakfast for Dr. Smith and clean up the rest. I'm not hungry, either." She started toward the forest but reconsidered and went inside the Jupiter II.**  
  
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**[Chapter Seven](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes7.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
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	7. New Page 1

New Page 1

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
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**Chapter Seven - I'll Be Home for Christmas**

**Maureen left John alone for several hours and then went looking for him, finding him in the cargo bay, working on one of the jet packs. "Might as well do an aerial survey," was his only comment when she approached.**

**Sitting down next to him, she asked, "John, are you all right?"**

**He continued working on the machine for a few more minutes in silence. Maureen sat quietly without saying anything. Finally he put his tools down. "Mo, I suppose that as long as I never heard any news, I could always picture my parents alive and well in my mind. Always there, waiting if we ever managed to find our way back. Just as they were when we left. What Penny didn't reveal in her disk told me that Mother had died, and I wasn't there with her. I know it was nothing that could be helped or changed, but I feel I let her and Dad down." He heaved a great sigh. "Am I making sense?"**

**Maureen picked up a rag and wiped a smudge from John's cheek. "You're making perfect sense, John. I felt those same emotions when my parents died. But we can't be sure that's what Penny was implying."**

**"What did you get from Penny's message?" he asked bluntly.**

**"The same thing you did, John," she answered softly.**

**He suddenly leaned over and grabbed Maureen in a fierce embrace. "I'm so glad to have you. So grateful, so blessed." His breath caught raggedly in his throat. Maureen held him tightly, feeling equally blessed. She knew that he was trying hard to control his emotions and only partially succeeding. Neither saw or heard their youngest child come into the cargo bay, realize what was going on, and retreat as quietly as he had come in.**

**"Mother was the glue that bound our family together with her humor and inspiration. She wouldn't let me give up on my dreams of space, even when there was no money for school. She pushed me to do better," he said quietly, and then looked lovingly at Maureen. "She did all of those things, just like you do now, Maureen."**

**He and Maureen sat close to each other in comfortable silence. John's eyes had a faraway look, which Maureen recognized as reminiscing, and she, too, thought of the woman who had always made her feel a member of John's large and boisterous family.**

**After awhile, a thought occurred to him. "You know on that disk, Penny mentioned what the date was on Earth." Maureen nodded. John continued. "It had to be a hint. She wants to celebrate Christmas. And we should. Even with all the hardships, we still have each other, we have what we need, and having a Christmas celebration would be a perfect way to express our gratitude," he stated. "And perhaps we might surprise Penny, although I tend to doubt it," he added with a slight smile.**

**And then a thought crossed his mind, one that made him pause. It was a wild idea, and he smiled slightly at the thought because it was one that his prankster mother would have found extremely amusing; that is, if he could pull it off. "We'll organize it secretly, and we can fool the rest as well as Penny. I will be in charge of the tree, why don't you be in charge of..." he paused, looking at his wife for her input.**

**"I might as well take on the food. I've been in charge of that for three years anyway," Maureen smiled.**

**John smiled. "What a wonderful party this is going to be."**

**A short time later, while working under the chariot with Don, the professor made basically the same pitch. Don volunteered to be in charge of activities. "Games and things like that, right, John?" he asked.**

**"Yes, and it must be kept a secret, although heaven knows how we can do that on this ship," John told him emphatically.**

**Will was placed under the same restrictions when asked to make decorations. His eyes gleamed with excitement. Judy, being more musically inclined than anyone else in the family, was happy to be in charge of the singing during the little Christmas Eve celebration, promising to keep silent about her preparations.**

**John decided that Dr. Smith could participate in the party, but if he were told anything at all in advance, then everybody else in this section of the galaxy would know about it in approximately one nano-second. So the older man was left out of the preparations, which frustrated him because he knew that something was afoot but couldn't find out what it was.**

**And for the next two days, many places on the Jupiter II became restricted zones by various members of the family.**

**

* * *

**

**Penny reveled in the attention and the love of her father's extended family. Grandpa, along with her Aunt Roberta and Uncle Jason, took her shopping at the mall where, to her surprise, she had problems adjusting to the crowds. Staying close to her grandfather, she gazed in alarm at the three stories of shops, the huge numbers of people and the cacophony of noises. The elder Robinson saw her discomfort and guessed that life for three years with only six other people would make such crowds seem threatening.**

**He decided to cut the trip short, only stopping for hamburgers on the way back home. Thereafter, most everything was done at home where his grand-daughter felt more comfortable, with only short trips for certain items she wanted to take back to the Jupiter II with her.**

**Her cousins sat with her around the dining room table plying her with questions about her adventures on the voyage. Often the adults would stop and listen as well. But halfway through the second day, the girl kept seeing in her mind visions of her family working in and around the space ship, the flutter-dragons swirling and swooping in their aerial dances. And she realized that she was homesick.**

**"Judy and Don proposed to each other while we were on the Ugorrim world. And it was Dad who kept the two races from destroying each other when the Rylorr tried to make him take a bomb to blow up Mmringorr's people." A knock on the door interrupted her story. Uncle Randy answered, and all in the kitchen listened intently when his voice rose in anger. Grandpa joined him.**

**Penny couldn't help but hear what was being said. "Sir, I don't care what your sources have told you, and I don't care what your credentials are, I wish you would stop coming to see me every time someone on the internet puts up a Jupiter II sighting," she heard Grandpa say wearily. "My son made a commitment almost eight years ago, and although I don't believe he's dead, I am not going to look behind every bush for him to appear."**

**"But, Mr. Robinson, I have a photo of someone with you yesterday who bears a striking resemblance to Penny Robinson. Have any of the Robinsons contacted you?" the voice asked.**

**"Yes, my son Randy, here; my daughter Roberta; my other son Jason; and my youngest daughter, Michele. Now, mister, are you going to leave or do I call the cops?" Penny decided that she would not want to be in the shoes of their visitor right now. Grandpa had that deadly cold sound in his voice, the same one that she had heard occasionally in her Dad's voice when he had had enough and was not about to take anymore. But it bothered her that he was being pestered like this on her account.**

**When he returned to the dining room, Grandpa looked at Penny and sighed. "I'm sorry, Penny, that you had to hear that. Believe it or not, your family has not been totally forgotten the last three plus years. It's even worse on the anniversary of the launch. And now that there have been all those hearings in Washington debating the voyage of another ship out to Alpha Centauri, the tabloids have been trying to have a field day. It's almost as bad as the UFO sightings that used to be reported when I was younger."**

**"Oh, but that's wonderful that someone else would be able to go to Alpha Centauri," Penny exclaimed. "Dad's survey made it sound like a wonderful place."**

**"But it doesn't look like it's going to pass. The Jupiter II's so-called destruction is still too fresh," Uncle Randy told her. "And with everything going on in the Middle East and Asia, defense is more important now, at least according to the majority on the hill. Sending a group of people in cryogenic chambers is considered risky and counterproductive."**

**"But we have hyperdrive or else we couldn't have visited all the planets that we have. Our only problem right now is not knowing which part of the galaxy we're in," Penny explained.**

**Her grandfather looked at her in amazement. "Too bad you don't know how it works."**

**"Dad understands the principle, but he hates the jumps. They make him nervous. We just kind of stay out of his way just before a hyperspace jump." Penny chuckled and then stopped abruptly. In her mind, she visualized Dad looking at the plate she had brought back and suddenly realized that he had figured out that Grandma was dead. "He knows," she whispered.**

**Grandpa looked at her pale face in alarm. "Knows what, dear? Who knows?"**

**"Dad knows about Grandma," she said. "He figured it out from the note I wrote, even though I didn't say it directly. Don't ask how I know, I just do. I must go back tonight." Grandpa nodded. Grateful, Penny knew he understood her needs.**

**Because of the visit of the tabloid reporter, the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent in the house. The chatter and love of all of her relatives was like a warm, fuzzy blanket enveloping her, filling her with warmth, and she was so happy that she had come.**

**Part of the evening was spent packing the items she had picked out to take with her to the Jupiter II. Finally, they had all been placed in the backpack that Uncle Randy had bought for her.**

**Still, the family talked, each giving her messages to convey to the rest. A message disk was made, with everyone putting in a few sentiments. As the younger cousins grew more tired and sleepy, still Penny couldn't quite pull herself away. Frodo had again found his way into her lap, but was beyond kneading and purring. She stroked the sleeping cat absently as they continued to talk. "Well," Grandpa finally announced, "It's several hours into Christmas Eve." Looking at her with a loving smile, he added. "Penny, you need to go back before you get too tired to work that thing."**

**She nodded and handed Frodo to Aunt Michelle. Putting on the backpack, Penny took out the cube and gazed at it before closing her eyes. Picturing her family and the Jupiter II, she let the longing wash over her...and she woke up with the backpack prodding her painfully in the back. Penny crept out of her cabin and onto the observation deck where a small, decorated tree was standing in the middle of the room. Four sets of golden eyes peered at her from under the upper branches, and she was shocked to realize that the flutter-dragons were inside the space ship. They were the ones that had 'adopted' her. Squeaking softly, they greeted her, but didn't leave the safety of the tree.**

**"Welcome back, Penny," her father said softly, swiveling the seat around from in front of the navigational computer. She hugged him fiercely and sitting down in the chair next to him, handed him the disk that his family had made. Then she placed her presents under the tree.**

**"It's a lovely tree, Dad, even if it resembles a magnolia more than a pine," she said laughing merrily. Then she sobered. "You know about Grandma, don't you?"**

**With a slight smile, he said, "Yes, I know, Penny." He paused and coughed slightly as though clearing his throat. "You have already given me a Christmas present." Penny looked puzzled. "You have returned, and you have also given me the opportunity to hear my family again. Thank you, sweetheart. Now, off to bed with you," he told her.**

**Later in the morning, Maureen chuckled as she saw that the pile under the tree had mysteriously grown. When she fixed breakfast, she saw a very tired Penny join them and hugged her tightly before allowing her middle child to have any breakfast. Again, the girl had to answer myriads of questions about her visit.**

**As soon as she could, Penny ran out into the midmorning sunshine, the flutter-dragons following. Letting the bright sun warm her skin, she reveled in the sounds of the forest and the squeaking of the little lizards.**

**Late that evening the Robinsons had their Christmas party. When Judy brought out her recorder, and Maureen, the large plate of confections and cookies, and Don, some games, everyone looked at each other and then stared at John. He just shrugged and smiled knowingly. Smith sat glumly on the far side of the observation deck.**

**"John Robinson, you deliberately tricked each one of us!" Maureen exclaimed happily.**

**"Merry Christmas, everyone. Let's see what Don has provided for our entertainment and then we can dig into the treats and let Judy lead us in the Christmas songs," John said.**

**"I'll be right back," Will announced and ran back to his cabin. When he went outside a short time later, he found the family engaged in a rousing game of flag football under the Jupiter II's landing lights. Laughing, he dashed into the fray and tackled his Dad, who had been handed the ball by Judy. Several flutter-dragons squeaked softly in confusion and then began aerial acrobatics above the players.**

**"This was okay twenty-five years ago, but I'm getting too old to play in the dirt. I thought it was supposed to be touch football anyway," John protested with a laugh. A nut from above hit him on the head, and he glared at the little lizards, whose eyes gleamed mischievously. "If that was a hand-off, you failed miserably," he told them.**

**"All right, crew. Let's try this again. I'll be quarterback."**

**Will centered the ball for him, and on his count handed it back. Looking around, John found no one waiting for the hand-off. In confusion, he looked around just in time to catch Maureen's flying tackle in the midsection. Penny grabbed his ankles. From the ground he looked up wryly at his laughing family.**

**"That will teach you to play tricks on us," Maureen laughed merrily. "But it was such a fine trick. Worthy of a Robinson." John laughed with her as he got to his feet and dusted himself off.**

**After that, the game pretty much became a free-for-all. John didn't believe he had ever participated in a more bizarre football game. Will even coaxed the Robot to play quarterback and throw the ball a few times. Of course, no one tried to tackle the quarterback on those occasions. Finally, John called a halt. "Refreshments, gang," he panted. The only person not participating was Dr. Smith, who stood on the sidelines, mumbling to himself.**

**An hour later, everyone sat gazing at the tree, now complete with jury-rigged lights. "What a nice touch that was, Will, adding lights." Maureen said. "They're very lovely." Everyone else agreed.**

**Will colored slightly. "The Robot helped. I just wanted it to look more like the Christmas trees we had before we left Earth."**

**The next morning, presents were handed out. Most consisted of promises of services to be rendered to the recipient, but some were homemade items made from wood, or naturally occurring foods or things available on the ship. John and Maureen sat back and watched. "Just like old times, isn't it?" John murmured.**

**Maureen squeezed his hand and nodded. "Oh, John, this has been such an enjoyable time. I'm so glad we had this celebration."**

**When all were finished opening their presents, John stood up. "I have to admit that I wasn't as creative as the rest of you, and I only had time to make one present and even at that, recruited Don's help, but I think it's one that will benefit all of us. Follow me." Leading everyone into the kitchen area, he asked Maureen to pull the blanket off an object standing to one side. When she did, she gasped audibly. It was an oven, rebuilt from the old one that had broken down, but now it was new looking and appeared to be fully functional. "Merry Christmas, Maureen."**  
  
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**[Chapter Eight](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes8.htm)**  
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**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
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	8. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
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**Chapter Eight - The Library at Wereeshen**

**Will lay back on his bed late one night, the day after Christmas. His discontent had been growing steadily for the past two days. Somehow he had expected Mom and Dad to use the cube and teleport to Earth for a visit just like Penny had, but for some reason they hadn’t. Now he wanted to use the cube himself, but he had the dilemma of not being sure of his destination.**

**Like Penny, he also wanted to see his relatives, but as much as he wanted to see them, Will thought that there should be something more substantial than just a short, although satisfying, visit. With the hyperdrive capabilities that the Jupiter II now possessed, they should be able to jump to Alpha Centauri or Earth. But they could only do that if they could find out where they were in relation to Earth. So far, it had been assumed they were in the same galaxy, but even that was not a sure thing.**

**Sighing, Will got up from his bed and slipped out of his cabin to his sister’s room where he lightly tapped on her door. When he was invited in, he got straight to the point. "Penny, do you still have the cube?" She nodded. "I’d like to borrow it, if I may."**

**"Who do you want to go see?" his sister asked.**

**"That’s my problem. I don’t know," he answered. "Part of me wants to go visit Aunt Colleen, but what I really want, is to find out is where we are so we can get back to our own part of the galaxy. To Earth or Alpha Centauri."**

**"But how would you do that, Will?" Penny queried. "You don’t know where to go to answer that kind of question."**

**"I know. Do you think that the cube would pick up on just a subject?" Will asked.**

**Penny looked alarmed. "Will, that could be so dangerous. I had a specific place in mind. Maybe you should talk to Dad."**

**"My gosh, Penny, I’m not stupid. If you are afraid for me to use the cube that way, Dad would have a fit! You know how he is."**

**Penny nodded. "Well, I guess if you had something in mind, it would either take you there, or you would just wake up in your own bed the next morning," she said weakly.**

**"Let me borrow it, and if I’m not here in the morning, then you’ll know I succeeded, and you can break the news to Mom and Dad," Will said with a grin.**

**"Thanks a lot, little brother," Penny retorted with a smile of her own. But her smile faded as Will slipped out of her room and shut the door behind him. She was apprehensive about what he had planned, and little fingers of anxiety started crawling around in her stomach. "Be safe, Will," she whispered.**

* * *

**When Will tried to visualize a place of galactic learning, he knew that his mental picture was so vague that he had no chance of success, so he simply said words in his mind. ‘A repository of star charts,’ he thought. That’s what he wanted. A repository of star charts, a library of star charts. Those were the thoughts that he kept running in his mind as he clutched tightly to the cube. Suddenly, the boy felt a peculiar wrenching and the lines of his cabin walls grew vague and watery, fading until all was blackness around him. It was disconcerting, and he closed his eyes, drifting into a semi-somnolent state.....coming back to total wakefulness on a hard concourse or sidewalk outside a large strange shaped building.**

**The air seemed thin and cool, and the gravity was lighter than Earth norm. Will sat up and felt a presence behind him. Jumping to his feet and pivoting around, while at the same time shoving the cube in his pocket, Will was confronted by a diminutive creature with almost pipe-stem arms and legs, thin torso, round head with slightly bulbous eyes. Its mouth was fairly small, its nose large and hooked, and there were no external ears. Except for its head, the entire body was covered with a fine greenish down. Will had trouble deciding if it was fur or feathers and finally came to the conclusion that it was something in between.**

**When it opened its mouth, the speech that came out was a kind of whooshing, sibilant sound. Shaking his head, Will said, "I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t understand you." A little more whooshing and it pulled out a small device from a pouch-like pocket. Pushing a few more buttons, it pantomimed to Will its desire for him to talk some more. Its fingers were long and thin, moving delicately like spider’s legs, and there were only three on each hand.**

**Shrugging, Will acquiesced, telling a bit about their trip through space, leaving out the details about where they were from, the Jupiter II, and other things that he didn’t feel comfortable divulging right now. Looking at the little alien, Will assumed that it was a male, but until he had a translating device, he just couldn’t tell for sure.**

**Still holding the device, the green alien beckoned to Will to follow him. Seeing no other recourse, the boy went along with him. They walked up the stairs into the conical shaped building. _Apparently there is something universal about libraries the galaxy over_ , the boy thought to himself. There were stacks and more stacks of what appeared to be disks of materials. Excited, he stopped talking and gazed in wonder at all the knowledge that he assumed these disks contained, craning his neck to look upward toward the vaulted ceiling.**

**The fuzzy little creature tapped him on the shoulder and gestured for the boy to follow him. Whooshing softly, he also entreated him to continue talking, so Will told him about his experiences in school and in other libraries. Walking down a long corridor, the pair found themselves in front of a desk where another of the furry/feathery aliens sat. His alien handed his little device to the one at the desk. The device was put into the slot of a machine, which began humming and whirring.**

**The alien gestured for him to wait. Will looked around in undisguised curiosity. Then he looked back at the two aliens, who had been conversing with one another and staring at him in bewilderment. The boy guessed that the machine was analyzing his speech patterns and figuring out a way to translate. He tried to sign his interest in looking at the disks. The desk alien looked at his hands intently and then gestured for him to wait.**

**Soon, the machine hummed at a slightly higher pitch and then stopped. Pulling out two devices, the desk alien handed Will one of them, and gave the first device back to the little creature that had found him. Reaching over, his alien pushed a small button on the top of Will’s device and then started speaking. Hearing sounds in English, Will smiled and held the device near his ear. Then he realized that the speaker piece was detachable, and he pulled it off and slipped it in his ear.**

**Suddenly the words were coming in clearly and understandably. "I appreciate being able to use this to communicate with you, sir," Will said politely to the desk alien.**

**"I am Shrooon," the first alien told him. "What kind of creature are you, and how did you get here?"**

**"I’m human. Homo Sapiens is the correct term in my language," Will told them. "And I teleported here." Which, of course, was the truth, but he just had no intention of telling them that the device was in his pocket. "My name is Will Robinson."**

**"I can assume that you are here to do research, Will Robinson?" Shrooon asked.**

**"Yes, sir. I need to look at some star charts."**

**"Then you are in the right place, Will Robinson," the alien smiled slightly. "Wereeshen is the largest repository of star charts in the galaxy."**

**"Just call me Will, please," the boy told him. "Using my full name sounds so formal."**

**"Very well, Will. Come with me, please, and we can get you started in your search," Shrooon said kindly.**

**Soon Will was sitting at what looked to be a computer terminal. "What did you wish to start with, Will?" Shrooon asked.**

**"First, I would like to see a representation of the galaxy," Will told him, hoping that it would be the Milky Way galaxy. When Shrooon made his request into the machine, a representation of a spiral galaxy showed up on the screen. One view faded into another, and Will soon realized that this was, indeed, the same galaxy that Earth was in. With a sigh of relief, he viewed all of the various representations. "Can you bring the picture back that we just saw?" he asked.**

**Shrooon complied. Will pointed to one of the outer arms of the galaxy. "I would like to see the star charts for that quadrant, please," he requested.**

**"Let me tell you how to work this machine, and then you can make your own requests." Shrooon patiently pointed out the various buttons to the bright-eyed boy. "You can make a copy of everything you need if you brought a compatible disk," Shrooon added.**

**Will was delighted. He pulled out a disk from his pocket and showed it to the Wereeshen. Shrooon then took it in his slender fingers, studying it intently. "A bit primitive, but it should work." He slipped it into a slot and fingered the keys in front of the terminal. Soon, he huffed in what Will assumed to be satisfaction. "There, anything you wish to save, just tell the computer to save it and it will be stored. I will be around to help you periodically, but do have other patrons to serve. If you have problems, just tell the computer to call me."**

**"Thank you. I really appreciate it, but before you go, may I ask one more question? Will asked. Shrooon nodded. "Do you have charts of a planet referred to as K’rt’rm?"**

**Suddenly the computer pulled up a chart very similar to the one that his dad had pulled up when they had jumped to the planet they were on. "Oh, wow!" Will exclaimed. "Can the computer put this planet in relation to the galaxy?" The galaxy wide shot came back up, and a flashing light indicated K’rt’rm. It was in a spiral on the other side of the galaxy schematic from Earth. "Save it, computer."**

**"Complied," the computer said simply. Will became excited and began asking for charts of systems that would seem to be in the most direct line to Earth. Each time he received a chart, he saved it onto the disk. Will looked up to thank Shrooon, but the Wereeshen had left, so the boy simply continued asking for charts and schematics.**

**Will soon lost all track of time. He noticed occasionally when Shrooon approached, but most of the time, he didn’t do more than nod his head. After working for what seemed only a short while, Will felt thirsty and hungry, but urgency kept him from asking Shrooon where he could find anything to eat or drink. So he kept loading his disk with information, making sure that he was also including the galactic ‘map’ showing the positions of all of the star systems for which he was pulling up charts.**

**Finally, Will ordered the chart for Alpha Centauri, which came up immediately, as had everything else. As he was loading that on the disk, he suddenly felt light headed and incredibly sleepy. Looking down at his watch, he was shocked to realize that over twelve hours had elapsed, and he couldn’t believe how quickly the time had flown. Then it dawned on him that the lethargy was due to lack of food as well as a lack of sleep. Will knew he had to finish soon and return to K’rt’rm.**

**Giving the command to pull up the next star chart, which would be his solar system, he sat back a minute and rubbed his sore back, noticing that his stomach had stopped growling. A soft chime startled him. "The information you have requested is currently unavailable. Please request again later."**

**Yawning, Will called for Shrooon, who came quickly. "Will Robinson, don’t humans take nourishment every day?" the little alien asked.**

**To Will’s ears, the question sounded a bit tongue in cheek. "They do, Shrooon. I just got so busy here that I didn’t realize how much time had gone by," he told him, chuckling. "I mainly wanted to know who the patron is who has the charts for the next star system."**

**Shrooon gave the computer a command and a string of symbols flashed across the screen. Giving a whistling huffing sound, Shrooon just said. "Graxod."**

**Will pulled the disk out of the machine and got up, stretching. "I really didn’t need that one, and I do need to teleport back."**

**"Very well, Will," Shrooon said.**

**Both started out of the room, but before Will could get out of the doorway, a very tall, hard-featured alien rushed through and knocked him roughly to the ground. The force of his fall caused a momentary disorientation, and the boy sat quietly waiting for his head to clear.**

**"So you are a human, eh?" the alien said sarcastically.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Nine](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes9.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	9. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
****

**Chapter Nine - Longings**

**Penny woke up the next morning with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Dressing quickly, she went to Will’s cabin and finding the door cracked slightly, walked in but found no one. She sincerely hoped that he had made it to the place he was looking for. Taking her time showering and dressing, Penny was late getting to breakfast.**

**"Was Will almost ready when you came up, dear?" her mom asked.**

**Sighing, Penny decided that the best way to take care of this problem would be to just let Mom and Dad know what happened. "Will took the cube last night."**

**Hearing Mom’s quick intake of breath, Penny sighed again. "He said he was going to find a place, a library, where star charts were stored."**

**"What!?" her dad burst out. "You mean he didn’t have a clear picture of where he was going?I can’t believe that he did that kind of a dangerous stunt." But the look on his face said that he did believe it.**

**"He was gone this morning, so he must have reached the place he wanted to go, Dad," Penny said lamely.**

**"Yes, he must have. Hopefully it won’t take him long to find what he’s looking for and return," he said quietly. To Penny, it was obvious that Dad was thinking of other possibilities that he wouldn’t mention. Breakfast was finished in silence, and there were plenty of leftovers.**

* * *

**Will looked at the arrogant alien carefully before answering. The creature was roughly humanoid: the head totally hairless with sharp cheekbones and bright, protruding eyes. The nose consisted of a slit with a cartilaginous flap that moved with the creature’s breathing. Ears were two tiny holes, and the mouth was small, with very thin bluish lips.**

**He was dressed ornately, the jacket and pants covered with metallic braid and trim. Will noticed that the alien was about the same height as his dad, maybe an inch or two taller. After getting up with as much dignity as he could muster, Will looked steadily at the alien and said, "Yes, I’m a human. And what are you, sir?"**

**"Your master, human. I had no idea that humans were so puny and weak," he said with a hissing laugh. "But no matter, I have more important things to do than stand and talk with vermin." He turned away from Will and stalked into another corridor.**

**"Shrooon, who was he?" Will asked, irritated. The alien gave him a bad feeling; it was almost as though a freezing wind had suddenly come into the room. Chilly fingers of distaste, fear and dread crept up and down his spine.**

**"That was Lord Mrolon cl Graxod," the Wereeshen answered.**

**Will only half heard; he was checking his pockets to make sure the disk and cube were still there. Sighing with relief when his fingers felt both, he continued following Shrooon to the desk where he had received the translator. "You will need to leave your device, Will Robinson, but it will be here if you or any other human wishes to come to our facility," the ‘librarian’ told him kindly. "How do you wish to pay for the copies that you have made?"**

**Will looked at the Wereeshen in shock. "Pay?" he stammered. "I, I didn’t think about that, sir. I came with nothing. I’m a traveler in space. I have no need of any kind of money.... But I have to have the information on the disk. Please," he added softly.**

**Shrooon and the other alien conferred privately. "Perhaps if you could give information on your home planet, Earth, for our library. We know so little about it," Shrooon finally told him.**

**"What would the information be used for?" Will was not unmindful of the interest of another patron in his home solar system.**

**"It would be stored for awhile, only being accessed by the archivists here. After a period of time, whatever is deemed suitable for public knowledge will be put on a disk that can be accessed by anybody."**

**"Well, I suppose that would be all right. I do need to have the disk." Suddenly Will clutched on to the edge of the desk to keep his balance.**

**"Will Robinson," Shrooon said in agitation. "Are you ill?"**

**"Not really, just very hungry. It has been since yesterday and I wasn’t thinking or I would have brought some snacks with me," he explained.**

**Soon Shrooon had provided the boy with something that, while not flavorful, was compatible with his system and filling. While he was eating, Will talked about Earth: the different peoples and the places as well as some snippets of history. He described in more detail the places he had grown up in or visited: California, Texas, and Massachusetts. At the direction of Shrooon, he talked about the other planets of the solar system.**

**After some time, Will noticed his voice becoming hoarse. Apparently, Shrooon did as well. "That is more than enough, Will." The Wereeshen placed the disk with information on Earth in the terminal, and punched in various symbols. "Do not worry, Will. This will be safe and can be edited for public perusal at a later date. We have not received the positive reputation we have by being indiscreet."**

**Will followed Shrooon to the entrance of the facility and thanked him profusely. When the alien had left him, Will stood in a darkened corner and concentrated on his return to the Jupiter II. Although tired, Will had no trouble picturing the space ship and soon felt himself traveling back home...where he was awakened by someone shaking him gently.**

**He looked up into the worried face of his mother. "I made it, Mom," he said, trying hard to stifle a yawn. "And I may have something to help us get back home." Will pulled out the disk and handed it to her. She looked at it a moment and then handed it back.**

**"Will, I’m so glad that you are back safely," Maureen told him, her voice husky with emotion. Will reached over and gave his mother a hug. After a moment, she pulled back a bit and looked deeply into his tired eyes. "Now, son, I would like the cube."**

**Seeing the determined look in her face, Will sheepishly pulled out the teleportation device and handed it to his mother. "Never do anything like that again," she told him. "You can’t imagine the anxiety we’ve been feeling, Will."**

**"I’m sorry, Mom. I just felt that we needed the information," Will said quietly but with great conviction.**

**His mother nodded. "Yes, and I know you’re tired, but go and see your father, he has been worried about you all day." But before Will could get off the bed, his father had already come into his cabin. Dad’s face showed relief and joy at his safe return.**

**"Will, you made it back safely," he said, hugging his son tightly. "Don’t you ever do anything like that again!Do you understand?" he added fiercely. Will nodded contritely.**

**Maureen was looking at him, bewildered. "John, how did you know?" The little silver lizard, to her astonishment, floated through the door and landed on her husband’s shoulder. A sudden burst of understanding came into her mind. "The flutter-dragon!"**

**"Yes, Will’s lizard told all the others and Silverado here told me," John said brightly. The object of conversation squeaked knowingly. "They seem to be getting used to the ship, too."**

**Will handed the disk to his dad. "I copied as many star charts as I could, Dad. I think you can figure out what I’ve done and maybe it will help us get back to Earth."**

**John looked at it and then back at Will. "Thank you, son. I appreciate your sacrifice to get this information," he said softly, and then ruffled his son’s red hair. "Just don’t do it again without saying something to me. I would rather be lost for a lifetime than lose you," he added fervently.**

**"I promise, Dad. I’ll let you know if I get any more ideas like that."**

* * *

**Don and Judy sat on the hillside holding hands. The scene was idyllic. A small stream cascaded over lichen-slicked rocks on its way down to a bubbling pond. At this time of the morning, a slight mist hung about a half a meter above the surface, tendrils gently floating first in one direction, then in another. Two flutter-dragons skimmed along the top of the mist causing ethereal wakes. The amber colored lizard grabbed the tail of the amethyst hued one in its tiny paws and squeaked mischievously.**

**Judy laughed and lay down on the spongy grass. Leaning his weight on one elbow, Don lay down next to her. "My darling," he said softly. "You are gorgeous. Why did I wait three years to ask you to marry me?" But in his heart, Don already knew the answer to his question. It had taken a near disaster to bring him to his senses. To make him see just how much he really loved and cared for Judy.**

**"Don’t understand that myself," she answered. Reaching over, she quickly hooked her hand behind his elbow and jerked it out from under him.**

**He was unable to catch himself until his lips brushed hers. Kissing her tenderly, then more passionately, he finally pulled away enough to murmur, "I love you, Mrs. West. I want to take you on a proper honeymoon, my love." He looked deeply into Judy’s large blue eyes, eyes that had attracted him from the very beginning of his affiliation with the ‘Family in Space’ project. And he felt lost in their depths.**

**"And where would that be that would be more perfect than what we have right here?" Judy asked, curious.**

**Suddenly she giggled as Don leaned over and whispered in her ear. He took great pleasure in doing that, knowing how very ticklish she was. "Alpha Centauri. Gamma planet," he said softly.**

**She jerked back in astonishment. "What did you say?"**

**"I am suggesting a real honeymoon, my dear," he repeated, chuckling at her confusion. "On planet Gamma in the Alpha Centauri system. We may never get there in the Jupiter II, but we do have the means to spend some time there."**

**"You mean Penny’s cube?"**

**"Yes, and your father’s survey showed how ideal it is. Let’s take some supplies and be by ourselves for a few days." Don’s voice rose in excitement, and Judy realized that he was very serious about his proposal. Suddenly she felt some of his enthusiasm.**

**"Why not?" she said brightly. This enthusiastic, spontaneous side of his personality was one of the reasons she had been attracted to Don West in the first place. Regardless of how serious or intense Don may act, Judy knew the lighter side of his personality lurked underneath. The discovery of this planet was good for everybody, she thought, smiling lovingly at her better half.**

**"You realize that Mom wants to stay here," Judy said as they both watched the flutter-dragons floating on the thermal breezes above their heads. A distant cry of a predator brought them closer to the treetops. In her mind, Judy caught a flash of large wings and hooked beak. A raptor, apparently, and she realized that this planet held many more discoveries.**

**"Yes, and I believe your dad may be feeling the same way, although he’s more reluctant to admit it." He chuckled mentally when he thought back to the day before. Maureen had dug up a small part of the clearing and planted some seeds. John had watched her for a while before taking a hoe and starting to help her break up dirt clods. Not a word had been spoken, but Don felt understanding pass between the two, and he envied that deep familiarity.**

**That was one thing he wanted to accomplish with a honeymoon elsewhere. Time alone with his wife, totally and blissfully alone with her.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Ten](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes10.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/LISfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	10. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
****

**Chapter Ten – Gamma**

**A short while later, Don approached Maureen as she was checking her little garden. "I’ve been told that you have the teleportation cube."**

**"Yes, I do. Will’s little trip frightened me enough that I didn’t want the kids to be tempted to use it again."**

**Don nodded. "I agree, Will shouldn’t have tried such a stunt alone, but Judy and I want to have a honeymoon, and we know pretty much where we want to go."**

**Although apprehensive about the prospect of worrying about someone else, Maureen couldn’t say no to her son-in-law and oldest daughter, when her two younger children had already used the device. But there was one thing that puzzled her. "How do you know the cube will take both of you?"**

**"Penny seemed to feel that it would teleport two as long as both are touching the device," Don explained, hoping all the while that Penny was right.**

**"You two certainly have the right to a proper honeymoon," she said with a thin smile, looking over Don’s shoulder.**

**"We will be perfectly safe, scout’s honor," Don chuckled, trying to reassure his mother-in-law. He saw the signs of maternal worry forming in the tight set of Maureen’s mouth.**

**"Where did you kids have in mind to go? Niagra Falls or Yosemite?" John asked, having approached from behind. The little silver flutter-dragon was perched on his shoulder, squeaking happily.**

**"Umm. Just some place rustic. We thought we would take a sleeping bag, tent; you know, the things we need to be on our own for a few days. Enough to keep warm and fed but not too much to carry around.**

**"Sounds primitive. Have fun kids. We’ll hold down the fort for you," John said with a smile.**

**Later that evening, Don sat near the edge of the clearing watching the evening sky darken. Judy had gone to bed early in anticipation of their trip the next morning, but he was restless and wide awake. His amber colored lizard sat on his shoulder, chirping soothingly. Judy’s amethyst colored one sat on his knee, looking at him curiously.**

**"Not that I suppose its any real business of mine, but just where do you two plan on going in the morning, Don?" John sat down on the log next to him. All three lizards rose into the deepening sky, spiraling and swirling around each other.**

**"Now, John, if the truth be told, it is your business, since you are the commander of this little expedition. But I didn’t want to make Maureen even more anxious then she already has been in the recent past," Don explained.**

**John looked at him curiously. "Nowhere on Earth, I suppose?" At that moment, one of the Jupiter II’s landing lights came on, bathing the entire area in a soft white glow. The lizards squeaked testily and flew into the forest.**

**Don chuckled. "We do know each other well, don’t we? Judy and I are going to Gamma and checking it out while we enjoy a bit of solitude. We wouldn’t be able to have that on Earth."**

**Peering into the forest, John was silent for a few minutes. To Don it seemed as though his friend was seeing something far off. "Don, does your flutter-dragon sometimes show you what it’s seeing when it flies off somewhere?" John asked him.**

**Don did a double take. That was definitely not what he figured John to have on his mind. "Occasionally I see flashes of scenes; Judy has mentioned that she does, too. Is that what you’re talking about?"**

**"More than that. Like I’m seeing out of his eyes for a few minutes at a time. Sometimes it’s very engrossing. Other times it’s annoying, especially if I’m trying to get something done," John sighed and looked curiously at the younger man. "I can only imagine how Penny keeps up with her four."**

**"I’m impressed, John," Don said and then slid into silence since he couldn’t think of anything else to say. Finally he asked, "Why did you call yours Silverado? I don’t think anyone else has named theirs."**

**"One of my favorite movies when I was younger was an old western called _El Dorado_. My dad and I used to watch it together occasionally. The lizard has some of the personality of the character that John Wayne played. Cocky, arrogant, and a bit of a bully, but also concerned with my welfare. Just seemed a natural name," John explained.**

**"And I think Penny has named a couple of hers, if not all of them." Another slight pause.**

**"I agree that solitude would be hard to achieve on Earth. Just be careful on Gamma. I know the probe found it to be the ideal planet for colonization, but there could be dangers that a probe wouldn’t find," John said, suddenly going back to the original topic of conversation.**

**"I will, John. And we will have the cube. If there is more than we can handle, we’ll come back," Don assured him. "You know that I would do anything to protect Judy."**

**"I know that."**

* * *

**Hand in hand, Judy and Don stood on the ridge of a high bluff overlooking a forest of unsurpassing beauty. Towering conifers swayed gently in the breeze that wafted across the heights and into the valley below them. But these pines had needles that were more golden than green, and cones that were tightly closed until the wind knocked them to the ground where they burst open, spreading tiny seeds in all directions.**

**"Oh, Don, this is absolutely breathtaking," Judy sighed. She leaned her head on his arm. The walk up to the top of the ridge had been strenuous, and she was a bit out of breath. The newlyweds had awakened from the teleportation in a tight embrace, at the base of a willow-like tree with bright scarlet leaves. The motes of sunlight that peeked through the hanging limbs danced and flitted across their faces. The pale golden sun was warm, and for now their parkas were tied on the back of their packs.**

**Judy bent down and examined the mossy growth on a boulder. It acted like a lichen and felt like it in a way, but grew longer than moss, and at the end of each blade or sprig was a tiny flowerlike burst of brilliant emerald green.**

**"Judy, let’s go down over there," Don said, pointing at the sloping end of the ridge. An old rockslide had formed a natural path, and the pair negotiated it with comparative ease. Vines with golden-green leaves afforded handholds where the route was steep and rough, and about halfway down, when they stopped to rest, Don found broken limbs from which he made crude alpenstocks. This made the descent easier and quicker, and by mid-afternoon the newlyweds had reached the meadow they had spotted from the ridge.**

**A small stream flowed from the hill that had just been descended, and they decided to camp near it for the night. Don gathered dead limbs for a fire and soon had the little tent set up. A nearby log served as a bench. When the small camp had been prepared and she had the package of stew reconstituted and heating in a small pot, Judy sat down on the log and watched the sun approach the top of a distant ridge.**

**"You weren’t lying when you said you wanted to be rustic," Judy quipped and then laughed. "You realize that you’re talking to the queen of comfort, don’t you?" She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. "You also realize that I don’t plan on making this a habit, do you?" She kissed him on the cheek. "And please be aware that I don’t like snakes..." She kissed him on his ear, "spiders..." on his neck, "or bugs."**

**Before she could think of anyplace else to kiss him, Don grabbed her in a fierce embrace. " _Ma cheri_ , I am a spider; see how my arms envelope you in my grasp." Judy squealed in delight, and both fell off the back of the log when his fingers tickled her, causing her to squirm. Laughing, they lay on the spongy grass and looked up at the amber sky of sunset, where golden clouds floated in cottony puffs.**

**As the sun set, the amber deepened to a dark reddish orange. Still Don and Judy lay watching the sky. "Look, Don, the first star. Do you think it could be the Sun?"**

**"Could be," he said simply. He felt Judy shiver slightly. "I would guess by this time that dinner is ready." He got up and then pulling Judy upright as well, went over to the now bubbling pot of stew. Pouring it into two mugs and handing her one, he said brightly, "Dinner is served, Madame." They sat holding the steaming mugs close to their faces. The temperature had dropped rapidly with the setting of the sun.**

**Judy handed her cup to Don and went over to the little tent where her parka lay. Slipping it on, she handed the other one to her husband. Gratefully, he pulled his on as well. Then they sipped their dinner in silence, savoring each warm swallow.**

**"You know, this is just like the trips to the Appalachians that I used to make back home," Don mused. "I had forgotten just how much the temperature can drop." They sat close, watching the flames of the fire that was no longer blazing, but was nevertheless throwing out a great deal of heat. "We are going to have to turn in a minute to warm our backsides," he chuckled.**

**"Just move closer," Judy said. Don happily acquiesced.**

**"Sing me a song, dear heart. You have such a lovely voice," Don said. Soon Judy’s high alto floated across the meadow and then Don joined in. While Don was no Pavarotti, Judy enjoyed his baritone and felt that it blended nicely with her voice. She enjoyed playing the recorder she had brought as well. After a short while, a screeching yowl caused her to drop her instrument and gasp in surprise. Don jumped up and grabbing the flashlight from his backpack, shone it in the direction of the noise.**

**In a tree was a bushy-tailed monkey-like creature with inquisitive black eyes and incredibly large tufted ears. It yowled in surprise when it was caught in the glare of the light before scampering down the trunk of the tree and disappearing into the grassy meadow.**

**Shivering violently, Judy urged Don to come back to the log. Before doing so, he threw another limb onto the fire. Then he put his arm around Judy and held her close. Their breath swirled into the shadows and disappeared. "I can see my breath," she said incredulously. "It must be forty degrees! Move closer, Don."**

**Don did so, embracing her tightly. "Closer, please. I’m so cold that everything is shivering," Judy moaned. Don slid a fraction of an inch closer. He knew for sure that a dollar bill wouldn’t slide between them right now. The school dance memory caused him to smile, having had the principal try to pass more dollar bills between him and his dates at high school dances then he cared to remember.**

**"Oh, Don, can’t you move a little closer?" she wheedled. Don chuckled and got up.**

**"My dear, there is only one way we can get closer." Don crawled into the tent, and unzipped the sleeping bag.**

**"Don, you left me sitting here freezing! What do you mean, only one way to get closer?"**

**"Mrs. West, how long have we been married?" Don asked, laughing softly from within the tent.**

**"About a month," she stated tersely. Then she clamped her mouth shut, because her teeth were chattering.**

**"Judy, Judy, Judy," Don said in his best imitation of Cary Grant, which wasn’t very good. She laughed in spite of her irritation at the cold. He backed out of the tent.**

**"My darling, you have been married to me for a whole month and you don’t know the answer to that?"**

**"My brain is frozen," Judy quipped.**

**Don made an elaborate bow, sweeping his hand toward the tent. "The bridal suite awaits, my dear. The covers have been turned back and the lights extinguished." Don took her hand and led her to the tent. She crawled in and he followed, closing the tent flap behind him.**  
  
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**[Chapter Eleven](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes11.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	11. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
---  
  
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**Chapter Eleven - Gamma Secrets**

**When Don awoke, he was amused to find himself alone in the little tent. For someone who always moaned that she liked to sleep in, Judy had managed to slip out early this morning, start a fire and begin breakfast. Shivering slightly in the cold morning air, he dressed quickly and pulling on the parka, crawled out of the tent. The smell of the wood fire greeted him as he got to his feet. A pan of fried bacon, (not real, unfortunately, but a good enough substitute) sat in the tiny fry pan next to the fire. A bowl of reconstituted eggs was nearby; ready to be put on the fire, but Judy wasn’t in the camp.**

**With a quick jolt of fear, Don pivoted around and looked in all directions. Near the middle of the meadow, he finally saw her with several creatures that at first glance looked like crosses between horses and the snuffleupagus from Sesame Street, with a little deer thrown in for good measure.**

**Walking sedately, when he really wanted to run, it took a good five minutes before he reached the unusual group. "A few early morning friends?" he asked softly. One of the creatures raised its head, and Don could see there was no mane, just hair that hung everywhere. The eyes were its most striking feature, though: big, deep brown, with long lashes, almost like some dogs he had known in his youth. The big, wet nose snuffled his chest and face and when it whuffed and turned away, the young pilot wiped his chin with his sleeve.**

**"They were standing around the trees on the far side of the meadow when I got up, and then they came this far and just stood and watched as I prepared breakfast. So I decided to come out and see if they were friendly," Judy elaborated.**

**"Good thing they are," he responded. "Those horns, small as they are, certainly appear to be able to do a great deal of damage." He sighed; there was no need now to berate her for her chance taking. "Just be more careful in the future," he admonished. "The next creatures may look like teddy bears but have teeth like piranhas."**

**"Don, you are such a pessimist," she said.**

**"No, my darling, a realist. And I want you around for many years," he told her lovingly. She gazed at him, smiled and then nodded.**

**"Their front hooves are more like paws and they use them to pull leaves and fruit off the trees. It’s quite amazing to watch," Judy explained. Don couldn’t see anything for all the hair, but he didn’t say anything.**

**Right now the animals were munching on the luxuriant grasses that lined each side of the stream, biting off the tops of the stems with their horse-like teeth and chewing, all the while gazing at them with a stare that Don could swear was curiosity. He wondered just how intelligent they might be. Pulling Judy close to him, he kissed her and murmured, "Let us return to breakfast before our yowler friend of last night or some other creature decides we don’t want it. If they are interested enough in us, our hairy companions will either stick around or follow us to the camp.**

**By the time they had finished their breakfast and cleaned up the camp, the sun had risen above the far ridge. The opposite hillside was bathed in a golden glow that enticed them as they made plans for the day. "I really would like to see what’s beyond the other ridge," Don explained to his wife, who had been all for spending the entire honeymoon in the little valley. As he rolled up the tent and slid it inside its cover, the major noticed the largest of the hairy creatures slowly approach the camp, stopping three meters from him.**

**Turning away to help Judy finish packing the cooking utensils in one of the packs, he heard a slight whuffling noise. She gasped and he swung around to see the tent dangling by a strap from the horn of the animal that had approached him. Standing up slowly and deliberately, Don just as leisurely approached the snuffle-horse. It stood still as he carefully lifted the tent from the horn. While he was holding the bundle, the animal sidled up to him until the pack in Don’s hands was even with the snuffle-horse’s back, almost resting against it.**

**Don stood in shock for a few minutes, not really knowing what to do. The creature was equally as still, only moving its head to look at him out of one big dark eye. A wild thought crossed his mind, and the pilot slowly rested the bundled tent on the animal’s back. It continued to stand still while he put more weight on its back. Gently lifting the bundle, he laid it on the ground and then turned and leaned across the snuffle-horse. When it didn’t move or protest, Don bent his knees and jumped on the hairy animal’s back. He heard Judy’s gasp of protest, but the creature continued to stand still until he had tightly grasped a handful of hair.**

**And that was when it decided to move. Gathering its legs beneath it, the snuffle-horse sprang into a lumbering gallop that was at the same time, surprisingly smooth. Unfortunately, Don was not an equestrian and couldn’t keep his seat. About the middle of his second whoa, he slid off, hitting the grass-covered ground hard enough to rattle his teeth. The snuffle-horse lumbered over and nuzzled him, whuffling softly. Judy ran over, concerned, but was still trying hard not to laugh.**

**"Never ridden anything less complicated then a car or an airplane, huh?" she asked, as he got up from the ground, brushing the vegetation off his clothes.**

**Laughing, he nodded and then was surprised to see Judy swing on the animal with ease, grab a handful of hair and gently tap its side with her heels. It broke into a slow trot and headed for the camp. Don followed on foot even though another one of the snuffle-horses had walked up to him. "And I suppose that you have ridden horses before," he called after her.**

**"Took lessons." Her voice floated back to him.**

**When he reached the camp, he pondered what had taken place. "You know, if I didn’t know better, I would think that these snuffle-horses had previous contact with humanoids. I’m not that familiar with horses, but these creatures act like domestic animals. They’re docile and not skittish like a totally wild creature would be."**

**"You’re right, Don, but the probe found no evidence of any form of civilization," Judy said and then gave him a funny look. "Snuffle-horses? Where did you get a name like that?"**

**He explained his reasoning, feeling a bit silly while doing so. Laughing, Judy looked back at the animals and then at her husband. "Not bad, you and Penny need to go into the alien naming business."**

**"Well, whatever the reason, they will let us ride and put our supplies on their backs. I say we accept the help. We will certainly be able to cover more territory and not be quite so worn out in the evening."**

**Soon, the pair was traveling toward the far hill, each on a snuffle-horse, with the third following, carrying all of their supplies tied on its back. Don was soon able to get comfortable enough to keep from falling off, and they made it to the top of the ridge just before mid-day. The next valley didn’t look very inviting, so they kept traveling along the top of the ridge for several kilometers until they reached another valley. What they saw made them gasp. In that valley appeared what looked suspiciously like ruins of some kind.**

**Don led the way down the slope in silence. The snuffle-horse was sure footed and despite his ineptitude on horseback, he had no trouble staying on the animal’s back. On the upper slopes of the valley, they rode through what appeared to them to be a neglected orchard. Although there was a great deal of growth between the old trees, the rows were still discernible. The fruit appeared ripe and Don picked one, placing it in his parka pocket to test later for edibility.**

**The buildings near the abandoned orchard were simply piles of decayed wood and rubble. Don slid off his snuffle-horse and poked around a few of the ruins. A tiny furry creature dashed out from underneath one pile of debris to the comparative safety of another. It was long and thin with six jointed legs, and ran with the weaving motion of a lizard or salamander. Pulling himself back on the snuffle-horse, Don continued down the slope with Judy at his side.**

**"I wonder what kind of people lived here?" Judy mused. "It looks to have been abandoned for at least a century."**

**"I don’t know, but I suppose that answers our questions about the docile nature of these creatures," Don answered. "Must be an inherited memory of some kind to still be that gentle after such a long time. Unless, of course, there are inhabitants somewhere on this planet, and the snuffle-horses have simply run or wandered away."**

**They continued down the slope until they reached the valley, only glancing at other piles of rubble they passed. Pausing briefly at the large stream that flowed through the middle of the valley, they soon started up the far slope. Shielding his eyes from the afternoon glare, Don scanned the hillside. "I think that outcropping of rock would be a good place to make camp tonight," he said pointing to an easily defended part of the hillside.**

**Judy perused his choice. "A bit more protected? Are you expecting an attack?" she asked, concern coloring her voice.**

**"Not really, but finding evidence of intelligent life on a planet that was believed to be devoid of any makes me a bit more wary," he said grimly.**

**They set up their little camp quickly. The snuffle-horses grazed near camp, whuffling softly amongst themselves as the sun slid behind the hillside. Like the previous night, a fire was built, but unlike the night before, the mood was more somber. "We will just have to trust our new friends to raise an alarm if something approaches," Don said. "It’s just too cold to sit out on watch. I really didn’t expect this kind of contingency, and just wasn’t as prepared as I should have been."**

**"Why don’t we just go back, Don? We have the cube," Judy suggested. She shivered from the cold as well as apprehension.**

**Inwardly, Don pondered the question and found himself hesitant to go running back to the Jupiter II just because they had found a few ruins. "In the morning, I want to go to the top of this slope and use the binoculars to see if there is any sign of habitation," he explained. "I think we’ll be fine. And as soon as I’ve checked, we’ll go back, I promise."**

**A distant, undulating scream caused Judy to grab onto Don a little tighter. "Well, whatever that was, I will have to thank it if we meet," he said with a short laugh. Kissing his wife to reassure her, they both retired into the little tent.**

**Two hours later, a chuffing noise and screaming challenge brought Don out of the tent in approximately ten seconds, one hand finishing the job of pulling up his pants and the other grabbing the stoutest limb he could find in the dark. By the light of a tiny moon, he saw several lithe cat-like forms attacking one of the snuffle-horses. Judy peered out of the entrance of the tent. "Get back in there," Don yelled.**

**His cry startled one of the attackers, which slowly started slinking toward him. Judy desperately dug into her backpack and finally felt the round barrel of a small laser pistol. Pulling it out, she opened the tent flap and gasped in alarm as she saw the predator launch itself at her husband. Quickly she raised the pistol, and fired a quick burst, catching the creature in the flank.**

**Yowling, the cat-like creature dropped to the ground, spun around trying to find what was tormenting its leg and then continued its attack. With a mighty swing, Don caught the animal across the side of its head, dropping it immediately. "Get the flashlight, Judy. Maybe the light will scare off the rest." Judy went back into the tent. The snuffle-horses were still battling their attackers.**

**When she crawled back out with the flashlight, Judy was horrified to see Don sprawled under one of the cat creatures. He was able to hold it off momentarily, but she could see that the impasse was only temporary. Dashing up to the animal, she bashed it over the head with the flashlight. Backing off of Don, the predator screamed a challenge and then leaped at her. All Judy could see was gleaming teeth and glowing eyes.**

**With a surge of strength that he didn’t know he possessed, Don scrambled to his feet, grabbed the unburned end of a branch out of the fire and snatched the creature off of Judy by the longer fur around its neck. He swung the glowing branch and knocked it further away from his wife. As it kept leaping at him, he continued plying the smoldering limb against it. Finally the animal snarled and dashed away into the night. Only then did Don notice that the other attackers had also broken off their attack and fled.**

**Panting heavily, not only from the exertion, but also because of fear, Don dropped the now broken branch and turned to Judy, who was just behind him. Seizing her in a desperately tight embrace, he could only murmur, "Oh, Judy, are you all right?"**

**"Yes, yes, are you?" she sobbed quietly against his bare chest.**

**"If anything had happened.... we should have gone back.... I’m sorry, Judy.... so sorry," he shuddered more for the images of what might have been than he did because of the cold. Always he had been a risk taker, not worrying about himself, but tonight the thought of losing his wife because of an unnecessary risk, was almost more then he could bear. He kissed her fiercely, passionately, wiping her tears away and rejoicing in his second chance.**

**Finally Judy was able to gain a measure of control, and she looked into the pale face of her husband. "Oh, Don, you aren’t hurt are you?" she asked softly.**

**"A few scratches." Holding his wife by the hand, he reached over and pulled his backpack over to him. Digging furiously, he finally located the little cube and transferred it over to his other hand, where their intertwined fingers closed around it. He looked at their hands linked around the device, thinking of how stupid he had been not to use it while they were traveling on this planet. He could have saved Judy from all of that exertion, from the danger, from almost getting killed.**

**He looked at his wife with deep love in his heart and gratitude for her safety. "There will be other times to come and explore Gamma, but I want you safe. I couldn’t bear to lose you, and I feel I almost did tonight. I love you, Judy."**

**She reached out and touched his cheek, wiping away the tear that he had not even felt. Her own tears still coursed down her cheeks. "I love you so much, and I thought I had lost you, too. Let’s go home." Holding the cube tightly, the newlyweds were unaware of the transition because the fervid kiss begun on Gamma was finished on the Jupiter II.**  
  
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**[Chapter Twelve](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes12.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
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	12. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
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**Chapter Twelve - Good News/Bad News**

**John and Maureen sat on a boulder together overlooking the tranquil pool below them. The only sound they heard was that of the little stream splashing its way down the slope and into the pool.**

**She held his hand tightly for reassurance. "John, that was too close a call. Don and Judy both could have been killed, and no one would have ever known what happened."**

**John said nothing. This time he couldn’t reassure his anxious wife because he was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he had given his blessing for the couple to go to the planet that had almost taken them away from him.**

**"Have you given any more thought to staying here?" Maureen asked him softly.**

**"Yes, I have, Maureen, and I’m still undecided." He sighed heavily, feeling the burden of the decision he was trying to make. "I feel the need for safety and tranquility, but I also feel the obligation of trying to find our way back. Will may have made that possible with his little trip to that library."**

**"Let me complicate the issue a bit more then. When I ran the diagnostic on Judy, I found that she’s pregnant. She was before they went on their honeymoon. As far as I can tell, the teleportation had no effect, but it will be awhile before I can be sure."**

**John stared at his wife in obvious shock. "What?" Then a big grin spread across his face. "Well, I’ll be...."**

**Maureen smiled back at him. "Yes, you are going to be a grandpa in about eight and a half months."**

**"Complicate, nothing! It makes the decision easier!" John burst out. "We have to stay here, at least until the baby’s born. As far as the surveys and reconnaissance flights have shown, this is a pretty safe planet. A perfect place for a new space pioneer to be born."**

**The two flutter-dragons that were sitting on the limb above their heads squeaked happily.**

**"Now, what about those on Earth who are expecting a visit from us? Penny all but promised, and I think we owe them something, too," Maureen said wistfully. "We know that two can teleport safely with that cube, and at least we wouldn’t be guessing the dangers of an unknown place. We already know the dangers of Earth." She laughed softly at her own joke. John joined her.**

**"Perhaps we should surprise Colleen at her New Year’s Eve Party and then we can briefly visit with my Dad," John proposed with a smile. His sister in law’s parties were well known up and down the west coast. Big, elaborate, boisterous, and extremely fun.**

**"Is it..." she began and then saw John nod. "I had really hoped to see Colleen again."**

**"Then we will," he said.**

**Later, in the Jupiter II, it soon became obvious to John that Judy had passed the good news on to the expectant father. Don’s whole countenance radiated happiness. He walked up to John with a great big grin on his face. "I’m going to be a father," he told him and then immediately repeated himself, a little more loudly, grinning even more broadly.**

**"Good heavens, why did you do a stupid thing like that, Major?" Dr. Smith asked disdainfully.**

**Don’s smile instantly turned into a frown of revulsion. "Smith, first of all, it isn’t any business of yours why we did it, and second of all if you don’t can the remarks about my wife’s pregnancy, I will readjust your nose so that it’s sitting on another part of your head. Do you understand me?"**

**Smith nodded quickly, looking to the professor for help. The hard expression on John Robinson’s face showed no sympathy, and the older man decided it was time to retreat with as much dignity as he could muster. "I tried to tell you earlier, but what you and Judy decide to do is your own choice. Far be it for me to give advice, even though I am a doctor." The major growled and stepped forward.Smith shrieked in fright and rushed to the elevator.**

**"John, if he doesn’t keep his mouth shut, I swear, I’m going to do something I’ll regret," Don remarked vehemently. Then he pondered briefly, looking at Smith’s retreating back. "Nah, no regrets." John just looked heavenward and sighed.**

**"Don, I just wanted to let you know that Maureen and I are going to pay a visit to her sister and then my father. I assume that we won’t be away more then three or four days, but please try to avoid homicide while we’re gone," John said with a slight smile. "At least make sure it’s justifiable," he added, chuckling.**

**"With that weasel, anything is justifiable, but, yeah, I’ll try to restrain myself," Don said evenly, and then he brightened. "Hey, get hold of my folks, would you? Let them know the happy news.Figure after you and Maureen get back, I can tell them in person, but for now, you know..." Suddenly he got a bit tongue-tied and stood quietly for a moment. "John, this is so incredible. I can’t explain how I feel... so wonderful...."**

**"Nothing to explain, I’ve been through it three times, but the first time is the most incredible."**

**Maureen fixed an early dinner in honor of the parents-to-be, a mixture of things replicated and local fruits and vegetables cooked on the new stove. The flutter-dragons danced merrily in the sky above the Jupiter II, squeaking and chirping, their varying colors making a rainbow as they spiraled and dipped on the air currents.**

**The mood was extremely bright and happy. Even Dr. Smith offered a toast to Judy, at which time she blushed happily. Maureen was delighted at the happy atmosphere and carried her mood throughout the evening as she prepared to visit her sister. John just looked at her in bemusement. "Mo, we are only going to visit for a few days, and I don’t think the cube can take suitcases. Just put a few things in a backpack, if you must."**

**"John, it’s New Year’s Eve, for crying out loud. I have to wear something more than this old thing," she fumed, looking down at her utilitarian outfit. To her exasperation, John just shrugged and smiled placatingly. "And I suppose you are all ready to go?" she added.**

**"Yes, I am." John had been out earlier that afternoon, looking along the streambed for just the right rocks, finally finding exactly what he was looking for. The gemstones he had found were in his pocket, and now he was calmly reading the paper that Penny had wrapped a few of her presents from Earth in while Maureen fumed and fretted over what to take with her.**

**John had forgotten what a simple pleasure reading a newspaper could be, although most of the news on the two pages he had was ephemeral and meant very little to him. What was interesting, however, was an article about the appropriations committee talks on the new Jupiter mission proposal. Interest turned to alarm, though, as he read further of the forced vote to be held just after New Year’s to finally shelve the funding for the project. Despite their own problems over the past three years, John had never stopped believing in the benefits of the space colonization program, and he was irritated with the legislators who could not see the benefits of long-term involvement in space travel.**

**Tossing the paper on their bed in disgust, he glanced up to see Maureen with the backpack on, smiling at him knowingly. "You have also forgotten how disgusted reading the newspaper made you feel, too. By the way, I’m waiting." Silverado floated in through the doorway, followed closely by Maureen’s blue lizard. Landing on his shoulder, the little creature was squeaking so furiously that its tiny sides were heaving. Maureen’s little flutter-dragon sedately sat on her shoulder, gently nuzzling her cheek.**

**"Excitable, isn’t he?" Maureen asked.**

**"Don’t think he wants me to go." John pulled the tiny creature from his shoulder and gazed into its golden eyes. "It will only be for a few days, you spoiled baby. Off with you." Silverado chirped sadly and flew dejectedly out of the cabin. John caught slight feelings of cold and darkness but shrugged them off. Maureen’s little lizard flew out after his.**

**"I suppose that if you’re ready, then I am, too. If you really think about it, this has got to be the only way to travel for the holidays," he quipped. Maureen laughed, reached over and took his hand. The cube rested warmly in the palm of her hand and they curled their fingers around its smooth surface.**

**"Well, John, let’s go to Colleen’s. This should be an evening to remember," Maureen said and closed her eyes to concentrate. John leaned over, kissed her tenderly and closed his eyes as well.**

* * *

**Maureen felt a dreamy state of somnolence come over her and then she felt a mental jerk. Suddenly, she was aware of being alone, as though John was nowhere near her. Then she felt a cushioned chair. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked into the dark brown, shocked eyes of her niece, Joan.**

**"Maureen, MAUREEN!! You just appeared.... how did you...? Maureen, when did you....?" Joan was suddenly speechless, staring intently at Maureen, who looked around in confusion.**

**"John," Maureen continued to look around. "John, where’s John?" Her voice rose in alarm. "He came with me. Oh, John." She couldn’t help it; the tears began to roll down her cheeks unbidden. Joan rushed over to her and enveloped her aunt in a tight embrace.**

**"Maureen, how did you get here?" Joan asked again. Suddenly her sister, Colleen, hearing the commotion, came into the room. Only for a moment did she stare before rushing over as well.**

**"Maureen, I have missed you so. When did you get back?" Colleen was crying, Maureen was crying and Joan was crying. Finally Colleen gained enough control to grab a box of tissues and hand them all around. "Maureen, tell me how you got here and what are you saying about John?"**

**Maureen explained the cube, showing them the device as she talked, before placing it in the bottom of her backpack. "But John was with me when I left. He must not have had his fingers on the device and was left behind," she said, suddenly feeling foolish for her outburst. "From what Penny told me, that is the only logical thing that could have happened. Don and Judy had no problems." She looked up at her sister with a smile. "I’ll be right back. I’m going back to the Jupiter II to get him." Maureen started digging in her pack again.**

**"Oh, please, not right away, Maureen. John is safe. At least talk to me while you get ready for the party, and then you can go back to the Jupiter II and get him. He’ll be so surprised when he sees you all dressed up," Colleen assured her. "I’ll order a tux for him. Same size, I suppose." Maureen nodded, amused by the yearly ritual. John loved Colleen’s parties, but hated dressing up in a tux.**

**"No, Colleen, I would really feel much better if I went back and got him now. It will only take a minute," she said. "You go ahead and order the tux, and we’ll be right back."**

**"I’m sorry. You’re right of course. It’s just been so long, Maureen. We’ll be waiting," Colleen told her.**

**Retrieving the cube, Maureen held it tightly and thought of the Jupiter II. Soon, she felt the shift to semi-somnolence, the floating sensation, and then.....she was in their cabin. A few minutes later, Silverado flew in, squeaking furiously.**

**"Well, tell him it’s time to go, you little stinker," she told the agitated lizard. Walking out into the corridor, she met Will.**

**"Hi, Mom, what did you forget?" he asked with a curious look on his face.**

**The little fingers of anxiety started walking up her spine. "Your father, Will. Where is he?"**

**"Uh, Mom, he went with you.... didn’t he? Will asked, his voice trailing off as he realized what his mother was saying. "Didn’t Dad get to Colleen’s with you?"**

**"No," she whispered, the horrible possibilities presenting themselves in neat order, one right after the other.**

* * *

**John held on tightly to his wife’s hand, ready to make the trip to his sister-in-law’s apartment when the thought of the congressional hearing in the capital crossed the forefront of his thoughts. If only he could talk to these political geniuses, maybe they would understand how important the Jupiter Mission really was.**

**Instead of the gentle lethargic state that he was told the teleportation process induced, he felt a peculiar wrenching and sensed his fingers literally being jerked from his wife’s hand. A feeling of nausea coupled with a sensation of disorientation flowed over him. Within a very short time the lethargy did come, but along with it came a sensation of intense, bitter cold.**

**The air in his lungs was frozen, his body began shivering from the cold, and John desperately tried to wake up, but nothing seemed to want to obey his mental desires. Within a short time the shaking stopped, and the professor acquiesced to the wishes of his body, falling into a deep sleep, where he no longer felt the burning cold, the nausea or dark loneliness.**  
  
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**[Chapter Thirteen](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes13.htm)**  
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**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
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	13. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
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**Chapter Thirteen - Friends in Not So Funny Places**

**Scott Barlow ended up in trauma almost every holiday. Not that he didn’t like holidays; it was just that he, not being married and not having any relatives closer then the Intermountain West, just naturally ended up holding down the fort at Memorial Trauma Center on holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve. And it had been a typically crazy Washington DC night. Already at 8:30 p.m., he had treated twelve gunshot wounds, a half a dozen car accident victims, several attempted suicides, and various assorted illnesses.**

**And, he thought wryly, one mustn’t forget George Washington. George was sitting in the chair across the room from him smiling blissfully. An older gentleman, his real name known only to himself and God, George would most definitely have benefited from the services of a nice mental facility. However, the poor soul had fallen through the cracks of a system that couldn’t seem to handle the needs of everybody. The man was also very claustrophobic and wouldn’t stay in a group home, so every time the thermometer dipped towards zero, George was usually brought into the emergency room to thaw out for a while until the walls closed in and he slipped out again. Scott liked the old man so much that he had even offered once to let George share his apartment, but the old fellow had stayed for only half a night before leaving to go back on the streets.**

**"Dr. Barlow, we have another hypothermia coming in. Seems to be in shock, too, from what the EMT’s have told me," Billie said through the open door.**

**"Might as well have them bring him in here, since most of the equipment is ready. Or are we talking about a her?" Scott pointed to the far exam bed. "Over there and bring me the transmission reports."**

**"Him," she said matter-of-factly, in a soft southern drawl. "A John Doe. No coat, gloves, ID, nothing. Like he walked out of his house somewhere to pick up the paper and got lost. He was picked up near the capital building." Scott nodded. Within minutes, he heard the shrill undulating siren and went out to the sliding doors to help the technicians. Shivering when the door slid open, Scott grabbed the data pad as the EMT’s rolled the victim into the room indicated.**

**He and Billie checked the vitals of the man, who although suffering from the cold, didn’t appear from the data to have been exposed too long. From all indications their John Doe was in a comatose state. When he had determined that there was no immediate danger to the man’s life, Scott gazed at him more closely. He felt as though he had seen him before, not personally, but....Right now, though, he didn’t have the luxury of standing around trying to think of who their John Doe was.**

**Checking the instrument panel that was now set up to monitor the vitals, Scott tried to figure out what could have put his patient into such deep unconsciousness. "Billie, he’s stable for now. Call Vlad and tell him I want a test done on our John... uh, Doe here." She nodded and left. He checked to make sure the hypothermia blanket was securely wrapped around his patient and then took a moment to ponder.**

**The man’s name was John, he was sure of it, but John what? He felt George’s presence at his elbow. "George, you really need to wait over there. Only one doctor per patient, you know," he said with a chuckle. George chuckled with him.**

**"Gotcher self a real spaceman there, Dr. Scott," George said, looking intently at the unconsciousness man.**

**"Spaceman?" he murmured. "What are you talking about, George?" And then it hit him. He knew why the man on the exam bed looked familiar. Jupiter II mission. He had been most of the way through his doctoral program when the Robinson family had taken off for Alpha Centauri, and he had not missed a report, article, or internet posting before, during or after the launch. That originally had been the only thing he was interested in: space. Specifically, space medicine. But the disastrous disappearance of the space ship had taken the edge off of any space programs, and Scott had simply opted to go into emergency medicine. He was now in his last year of residency at Memorial.**

**And before him lay Professor John Robinson. How, he couldn’t conceive, but he would bet his life on the fact. Reaching for the intercom, he called the front desk. "Deanna, get security down here with their ID kit. We need to do an ID on an emergency patient." He turned to find the hematology technician coming through the door.**

**"Okay, doc, who’s the lucky soul I get a bite from," Brent Mayer, a.k.a. Vlad, said brightly. Scott pointed to ‘John Doe’ and then escorted George back to his chair.**

**"Now, doc, he doesn’t look like most of the ice cubes that are brought in during weather like this. What’s his problem?" Vlad asked, curious as usual.**

**"Don't know yet, Vlad. That’s one of the reasons you’re here," Scott answered. Vlad worked quickly and methodically and soon had his sample.**

**"Zoom, Alpha Centauri," George piped up from the corner. Vlad laughed as he headed back to the lab.**

**Several hours later, with vitals fluctuating just enough to give him an excuse to keep ‘John Doe’ in the emergency room, Scott was still waiting for the results the ID tests as well as the blood test. He checked on the mysterious patient in between several more emergencies, most of which dealt with the effects of too much alcohol. Finally just before midnight, Billie brought in the results of the tests. Mentally, Scott was grateful for computer technology that enabled such quick findings.**

**"Billie, read me what the reports say. I’m kind of tied up right now." He was stapling together the results of a drunken knife brawl.**

**"John Sims Robinson, born Lowell, Massachusetts, 1967. Last listed address, Houston, Texas. Also lists next of kin. You want me to make contact?" Billie asked matter of factly. "Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year, doc."**

**"Not yet. But I’ll let you finish the bandaging; I have the worst done. Thanks. And Happy New Year to you, too," he said as he washed up. Just as he was finishing, several loud cries came from the one of the other rooms.**

**A nurse rushed in. "Doctor, problems in three."**

**Scott followed her and found John Robinson moaning and thrashing on the emergency bed. And he was speaking a language that Scott had never heard before. He checked the diagnostics and saw that the vitals were, for the most part, normal. Suddenly with a shout and the cry, "Mo," his patient sat up and gazed around the room as though expecting someone to be there.**

**The nurse looked at the patient with wide eyes. "Honey, I certainly hope you speak English, because I sure can’t talk to you in that language you were just speaking."**

**John blinked at her, somehow expecting to see Rrangruk, the Ugorrim doctor, in front of him; his dream had been that vivid. And then he realized where he was. "I’m on Earth," he stated. "Where’s my wife?"**

**"Your wife’s not here, Professor Robinson," Scott said. His patient looked confused and kept glancing around the room.**

**"But I left with her..." John’s voice trailed off, suddenly remembering the trip from the Jupiter II. "Where am I, Doctor...?" he asked.**

**"Memorial Trauma Center, Washington DC, and I’m Dr. Scott Barlow. An honor to meet you, Doctor," Scott smiled. "How do you feel, by the way?"**

**"I have a headache that would rival any produced by a hangover, but otherwise I’m fine," John said wryly. He looked at the rails on the bed. "Any possibility of getting rid of these, so I can get off of this thing? It’s not made for comfort."**

**Scott laughed and put the rails down. He grabbed the professor’s arm to steady him as he slid off the table. He considered the circumstances of Dr. Robinson’s appearance here and ventured a query which he hoped wouldn’t insult his patient. "Do you have any place to stay tonight?" he asked.**

**"No," John answered and then felt his pockets. "And no way to get back home. By any chance, were any items taken from my pockets?" Scott shook his head, no. In a way, John was relieved because that meant that Maureen must have the cube and therefore a way back to the children. Looking at the young doctor, he smiled. "I was really expecting to end up somewhere a bit more temperate."**

**"I’ll be off in half an hour, would you like to settle in my apartment for the night?" Scott asked.**

**"I’d appreciate that, Doctor," John told him.**

* * *

**Maureen felt the cold grip of fear once again clutching her heart. "Where could he be? What happened to him?Oh, not again."**

**Don grabbed her arms and looked intently into her eyes. "Maureen, there is a logical explanation to this. There has to be. You saw how it was able to take Will to that planet, when he didn’t even know where it was, or what it was, or even what it looked like."**

**"And I think I know what the explanation is," Will announced. Everyone looked at him, no one saying a word. "You were both going to visit Aunt Colleen, right?" His mother nodded. "Well, I bet that something else was on Dad’s mind just before the device activated, and somehow it sent him to whatever place he was thinking about, while it sent you to Aunt Colleen’s just as you had planned."**

**"But he mentioned Colleen just before we left," Maureen said.**

**"Well, what happened before you left? Think back, Mom," Will coaxed.**

**Maureen thought back. "He teased me about everything I was taking, his lizard gave him a hard time about leaving, and...." She paused, pondering. "Wait, he was reading one of those papers that Penny wrapped presents in." She ran to get the newspaper and was reading it as she came back. "Of course, he was disgusted. And here’s an article about a forced resolution against further funding of the Jupiter III project."**

**"I bet Dad’s in Washington DC," Will announced. Everyone looked at him intently.**

**"Then I need to go back to Colleen’s because he will try to contact me there," Maureen said resolutely.**

**"Let me go with you, Mom," Judy said.**

**"No, first of all, when your Dad and I get back together, we’ll be coming back. We don’t know if the cube will handle three. And second, we also don’t know what effect all of this teleportation might have on the baby," Maureen stated. "I’ll be fine and I will find your dad." She hugged and kissed each of her children and went back to her cabin. Concentrating, she felt the now familiar languidity that accompanied the teleportation process.**  
  
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**[Chapter Fourteen](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes14.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	14. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
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**Chapter Fourteen – Reunions**

**On the metro transit, John quickly explained the means by which he had arrived in Washington, DC."That’s the reason I feel like a fool. I’m a scientist; I should know better then to let my mind wander. But I would appreciate the use of your vid-phone to contact my wife when we arrive at your apartment. I have something I brought with me to reimburse you for the hospital visit plus whatever other expenses I incur," he said, fingering the gemstones in his pocket. He had been astonished that they hadn’t been noticed when he was being cared for in the hospital.**

**"There is absolutely no problem with that, Professor Robinson. I still can’t get over the fact that you are coming home with me," Scott said.**

**"May I assume that you are a space enthusiast?" John asked, amused with the young man’s demeanor. "By the way, just call me John. The only other person who has called me Professor Robinson for the past three years, other than passing acquaintances, I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw him. I count you as a friend, so please, let’s skip the formalities."**

**As soon as the two men reached the young doctor’s apartment, John booted the computer phone link and placed a call to Colleen Markley.He tapped his fingers on the table, while waiting. Finally a soft chime signaled an answer, but it wasn’t what he expected.**

**"This is a protected call; an identifiable password or message must be presented," a neutral voice said expressionlessly.**

**John sat frustrated, glaring at the screen. Scott came over. "John, that means that they put a block on their line. You’ll have to give a password or some kind of message that will identify you to the person at the other end," he explained.**

**"I know, Scott, I just don’t know what her password would be now. Let me think of an appropriate message." Then taking a deep breath, John began. "I just want to discuss with Mo the probability of a geophysical force attracted to a biochemical one." Then he sat back and waited for an acknowledgment.**

* * *

**Colleen finally put a block on her computer vid-phone, knowing full well that it would make it more difficult for John to get through. But there were too many crank calls; apparently someone at the party had called one of the papers and told them that Maureen Robinson was attending. After Penny’s appearance in Massachusetts last week, the rags were going to have a field day with this one. She sighed thinking of how long it had been since she had been able to peacefully enjoy the company of her sister. Well before the launch, she thought.**

**Irritation began to eat at her normally mild demeanor. She had been the idiot that had suggested that Maureen go to the party for a short time instead of waiting by the vid-phone all night. Optimistically, Colleen had figured that it would help to raise her sister’s spirits. Maureen had only agreed when the promise had been made that she or Joan would remain by the phone. After too many nosy and ill-timed questions, her sister had retreated to the guest room to rest while she waited.**

**A chime from the computer phone link interrupted her reverie. She pulled up the password, which turned out to be a message. When she read it, she laughed, recognizing the peculiar humor that John and Maureen shared. Reaching for the intercom she pushed the send button. "Maureen, I believe there’s a phone call for you in the rec room."**

**Colleen decided that she had better initiate the contact before John got discouraged and logged off.Opening the line, she said, "Hello, John, ‘bout time you called. Your wife is frantic."**

**"Well, I haven’t had a chance until now, and then I find your phone blocked. Where is Maureen?" John asked, smiling. "And it’s good to see you, Colleen."**

**Colleen saw a young man behind him. "She’s coming. And it’s very good to see you, too. Who’s your friend?" John introduced Scott and then quickly explained the connection. Colleen heard her sister rush over to her side. "Your better half wants to talk to you," she told Maureen. "But you’d better make it clear that if he has any plans to do anything about the Congressional committee, he’d better lay low until he actually meets with them. The tabloids are making a great deal of interstellar hay right now." Colleen vacated the seat and let Maureen sit down. She sat down on the couch to listen.**

**Maureen had to work very hard to keep her emotions intact. "John, I sure do wish you and the kids would quit putting me through all of this. It’s hard on the nerves."**

**"I’m sorry, Mo. This really was unintentional, and I certainly wouldn’t call an evening in the Washington DC Memorial Trauma Center a fun way to spend New Year’s Eve. I would much rather have worn the tux that Colleen probably ordered for me to wear to her party." He paused a moment. "Maureen, I’m going to try to find a way to speak to the Congressional committee on the third. You know how strongly I feel about the space program. They can’t quit now." He exclaimed, vehemently. "And yes, I also heard Colleen’s comments, but I haven’t traveled halfway across the galaxy to sit hiding in a friend’s house for two days. I have every intention of visiting with my father."**

**"Yes, John, I agree. But why don’t I come to get you and bring you back here," Maureen suggested. Strangely, she watched John fidget a bit and look uncomfortable before finally answering her.**

**"Maureen, I certainly have no problem with you coming here, but I don’t want to have anything to do with that teleportation device until it’s time to go back to the Jupiter II. I know it was my fault, but..."**

**"John," she interrupted him, "I understand totally. Give me the address so I can get in touch when I am ready to meet you. I would now, but there is a lot of catching up to do with my sister. However, I, too, want to visit with your dad, and I certainly wouldn’t miss your entrance into that committee meeting for the world. By the way, my dear, Happy New Year."**

**As they logged off, their fingers were touching figuratively on the screen. John was getting heartily sick of these forced separations.Staring at the monitor, he pondered who would make the best liaison for him to work with. He was determined to present his arguments, but didn’t want to be part of a media circus. Finally deciding, John logged in a code from over three years ago and was gratified to get the signal indicating that the number was still in operation. A very sleepy and disheveled Lisa Mitchell answered. "Who is this?Do you have any idea what time of the morning it is? I sure hope this is important."**

**"Well, as a matter of fact it is, Lisa. Is Ben there?" She nodded, rubbing her eyes. She hadn’t put her glasses on. "Tell him it’s Professor John and then time his eruption from bed."**

**Her eruption from sleep was pretty spectacular, John thought. "John? John Robinson?" She squinted and then jerked back in shock. "Ben’ll be out in a minute."**

**It was closer to a half a minute. "John, how come us ground crew types are the last to know these things? I thought I had heard some rag material about Penny being seen in Massachusetts, but didn’t know you folks were back."**

**"Technically speaking, we’re not. Penny came back by way of an alien teleportation device. Maureen and I did the same thing, except she and I got separated in transit." John paused a minute before laying the bombshell on his close friend. "I need you to make contact with the chair of the space appropriations committee. You know, the one that’s expected to vote down additional spending in a couple of days."**

**Ben nodded, and then a great smile broke out on his face. "Professor, you always were good at teaching great lessons. What a kick in the pants for the space program."**

**"Let me get back to you the evening before the meeting and see what you’ve scared up," John told him.**

**Ben gaped at him. "You don’t believe in keeping in touch, do you?What are you going to be doing for the next day and a half, or is it any of my business."**

**"Ben, let’s just say that I’m going to do some visiting." John yawned. "I have to go. I may have slept earlier in the evening, but I’m still tired. Must be getting old," he said with a laugh.Ben just snorted.**

**Logging off, he rubbed his tired eyes. "Scott, if you don’t mind, I’m going to crash on your couch for a few hours."Not even waiting for a reply, John was asleep almost immediately.**

**Later in the morning, John called his father’s house and almost wasn’t able to talk for a brief moment. "Dad," he finally said. "It’s John."**

**"John? Johnny, is it really you? Are you all right? Where are you?" came the choked voice. "It is so good to hear your voice. Now I wish I had one of those computer phone link-ups."**

**In amusement, John thought that the lack of a video link-up wasn’t such a bad thing right now. "Dad, I’ve been told that the media harassed you a week or so ago. I want to get together, but certainly don’t want that to happen again. How about making the annual pilgrimage.Meet, say about a couple of hours before sunset?Would that be too difficult?I know it’s short notice, but believe it or not, I am under a bit of a time line. We can spend the night nearby, too."**

**"What about the weather, John? I’m assuming you are referring to Christy’s place? The one with the lovely trail that’s about two and a half miles," his father sounded as though he was enjoying the cryptic subterfuge.**

**"No, actually the church just beyond the trail. And I checked the weather. Tolerable," John said with a laugh. Dad’s silence indicated his confusion. "I would never make a good spy; I’d laugh too hard to be taken seriously. I really am looking forward to it, Dad." John sat staring at nothing in particular after hanging up the phone, just feeling a surge of anger at the inconvenience that was being imposed on his father.**

**The banging of kitchen utensils brought him out of his reverie, and he looked around at his young benefactor. "Need any help?" he asked, standing and stretching to relieve the stiffness incurred from a night on a hard couch.**

**"No, John. I’m just throwing together some pancakes and eggs. You like sourdough?" Scott asked. John nodded and pulling out some dishes from the cabinet, proceeded to set the table. He chuckled to himself; some things never changed.**

**Scott had been told how the teleportation device worked, but was still shocked when he and John were sitting in the breakfast nook a short while later and suddenly Maureen Robinson was looking at them sleepily from his living room couch. John was at her side in an instant. "Oh, John, I don’t know why you dislike this kind of travel. It’s the only way to..."She was unable to continue, because suddenly John was busy greeting her.**

**"Just a half a day, and I missed you terribly. I don’t make a good bachelor, my love," he murmured, kissing her again. "Guess I should introduce you to the young man who has kept me off the streets since I arrived, although I suspect that he knows about as much about you as I do." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Scott blushing a bit in embarrassment. "This is Dr. Scott Barlow, and he is an avid space enthusiast, my dear; wanted to go into space medicine, but our untimely disappearance changed that."**

**Laughing slightly at the young man’s discomfiture, he continued. "I hope that after the third, he might be able to pursue his original plans." Looking at Scott, he said, "I assume that you would still go into space medicine if given the chance?"Scott nodded enthusiastically.**

**Over breakfast, John informed Maureen of his plans. "I’ll condescend to use the cube because it will decrease the chances of an eruption of a media circus. I’m beginning to see what we have not been missing by wandering the galaxy. But I still can’t understand the furor, especially after all of this time." He shook his head in amazement.**

**"Have you forgotten, John? UFO sightings, alien abductions, Bermuda triangle, area 51, etc. and so on.Folks love a mystery, and you people have been the ultimate mystery ever since you disappeared.Nothing to indicate a total destruction, so ergo, a mystery.I, myself had a website, until I got so busy in the trauma center that I had to turn it over to my friend to maintain. Got a lot of hits, too. Space itself had seemed a bit unattainable after your disappearance, but after the initial shock wore off, the mystery and interest just increased."**

**John just stared at his new friend for a moment before getting back to his breakfast, still dumbfounded at the revelation. Being something of a celebrity was disconcerting, and it disturbed him greatly.**

**After breakfast, John and Maureen spent a bit of time ordering some winter clothing through the computer catalogues. "Maureen, may I ask what you’re using for credit? Those sparkling little rocks of mine won’t cover a great deal," he said as she punched in her first order. With a smile, she held up a credit card with Colleen’s name on it. "I should have known," he said, chuckling.**

**By late afternoon, ready for the cool outdoors, Maureen and John interlinked their hands and this time made the transition without incident. They found themselves sitting side by side in a nineteenth century country church. The warmth of the afternoon sun had not penetrated the old wooden building and they sat close for a few minutes until the lethargy of the trip wore off.**

**"See, I told you it was the only way to go, John," Maureen said quietly, feeling the peacefulness of the old church. "Let’s go out and walk around the grounds a bit. You only brought me here once after we were married and I want to see if Cade’s Cove is still just as beautiful as it was then."**  
  
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	15. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
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**Chapter Fifteen \- Earth is a Nice Place to Visit, But...**

**They shrugged off their packs near an old rail fence and walked along the path at the edge of the graveyard. Stopping within sight of the old church, the pair looked up at the majesty of the Smoky Mountains. "Even in the winter, with the trees bare, it’s absolutely beautiful," Maureen commented. All of the mountains were capped in a light dusting of snow.**

**"Maybe that’s because of the solitude, Mo," John said quietly, enjoying the serenity of the rolling meadow and not so distant mountains, while at the same time conscious of cars slowly passing by on the narrow one-way road that ran a circular route through this part of the national park. "It looks as though some of the trees are coming back from the acid rain days." He paused and they both leaned against the fence, gazing around in rapture. "Look, Mo. Do you see the deer?" He pointed toward the peacefully grazing animals. Every once in a while, one raised its head in mild interest before continuing to graze on the dry grass. The sun began tingeing the eastern mountains a golden color as it journeyed westward.**

**A light breeze blew through the tiny cemetery, causing them to shiver slightly. Ignoring the passing vehicles, the couple continued to watch the animals, including an inquisitive raccoon which was pawing among some trash that missed making it into a garbage can. John put his arm around Maureen, drawing her closer to him.**

**"Johnny? Maureen?" a soft voice broke through their reverie. Pivoting around, John was startled to realize that his dad had driven up and approached them without his knowing it.**

**"Dad," John murmured, and before he knew it the older man had grabbed him in a fierce and possessive hug. The son reciprocated. "I never thought I would see you again," he whispered.**

**Holding him at arm’s length, Frank Robinson just stared at his youngest child for a moment. "You’re looking wonderful, John, considering what Penny said you had been through. And you even look more self assured, if that’s possible," he added with a chuckle. "I am so proud of you, son. I always knew you could pull it off. I always knew that you would return someday." Then he hugged Maureen and motioned them toward the cars parked near the old church. "We need to leave soon, before the rangers get aggravated. The gates close at sunset."**

**As he approached the vehicles, John’s eyes widened in shock, because in the two cars were his four brothers and sisters. An extremely boisterous reunion took place, with emotions running high. Frank Robinson was finally able to convince his children that leaving was the better part of discretion, especially when he saw an oncoming park service vehicle approaching in the deepening twilight. An hour later the group was gathered in a large rental cabin in nearby Townsend.**

**"I still can’t get over how you were able to arrange all of this in such a short time, Dad," John said as he lit the fire in the fireplace. Maureen and Roberta were cooking steaks in the kitchen. Everyone else was relaxing in the large living room.**

**"Uh, John, you were the one who got the Ph.D., and you’re asking a question like that of the grand wizard of finaglers?" Randy chided his younger brother. "Shame on you, little brother."**

**Laughing, John felt the joy almost as a tangible thing; so wonderfully present that it could be touched, felt, tasted, experienced almost more than could be borne. "Watch who you call little," he growled the old retort good-naturedly. John had been taller than his oldest brother since early high school days.**

**The bantering and conversation continued well after midnight, when by mutual consent, the group voted that John and Maureen should have the master bedroom. After experiencing the tiny cabin on the Jupiter II for over three years, this room looked positively monstrous, and the couple stared in awe for a moment before shutting the door.**

**The next morning, John woke up to the sound of birds greeting the sun, hawks preparing for the hunt, woodpeckers in the pines, crows cawing to one another and a cardinal tapping at its reflection on one of the windows. Quietly sliding out of bed, he waved his arms to get rid of the myopic pest and then he threw on his pants and shirt. A squirrel stared at him from a branch that swayed just outside the window.**

**Maureen was still sleeping soundly and had not been aroused by the noise, so he slipped noiselessly out of the bedroom and into the living room. The fire was only a pile of smoldering coals, sending out a minimum of heat.**

**Pulling on his coat, John decided that he would surprise the family and have a nice fire going when they all woke up. He stealthily went out the front door to the woodpile that had been restocked only the day before and began gathering suitable sized logs. Hearing a slight noise that most likely heralded the approach of an individual, John quickly dropped the logs in the muddy drive and grabbed a stick left for kindling- and then chided himself for his paranoia. The man only looked to be an early morning jogger.**

**"Dr. Robinson?" the jogger asked. "Colonel John Robinson?"**

**"Who are you?" John hissed. Irritation rose like the flames in last night’s fire, as John realized that his paranoia was becoming justified.**

**"David Morrison, freelance journalist and photographer." The newsman kept glancing at the stick in John’s hand. "Uh, Colonel, I’m not here to annoy you...." Morrison had stopped about a dozen feet from John, who had noticed the camera hanging off the reporter’s shoulder.**

**"Too late, Mr. Morrison. You’re here. I’m already annoyed," John retorted. "And I know how my family and my wife’s family have been annoyed lately, too," he added.**

**"Believe it or not, although I’m interested in earning a bit of money off this, I have a family, too, and I’ll leave if you are that adamant about it," David said soothingly. "I was also freelancing right before the launch and interviewed your son, Will. It was my understanding that you were annoyed then, too."**

**Furrowing his brow in concentration, John tried to remember the incident. "Yes, I vaguely recall that. I believe you had figured out a way to talk to him when security was lax. It was right before a farewell party, and I was annoyed. But you also faxed me a transcript of the interview before submitting it for publication." The professor tossed the stick back on the woodpile and approached the journalist, hand out in greeting. "I’m still not happy about this, but I suppose if I’m going to be cornered, I should be grateful that it’s by someone with some scruples."**

**Morrison winced. "You know, Colonel, not all paparazzi are sneaky, unprincipled and evil creatures."**

**"Touché. It just seems that way," John replied. "Let’s walk, Mr. Morrison, and I’ll try to answer what I can. But be aware that I’m spending the day with my family, not with you. And if you ask me something I refuse to answer, then don’t push. And don’t call me Colonel. I’m a scientist and a teacher, not a military man."**

**"Sounds fair, uh, Professor," Morrison agreed with a smile. "And just call me David."**

**And then began a series of questions that seemed to John to show a great deal of forethought and preparation. Despite himself, he was impressed with the journalist and tried to be as up front and honest as he could without getting too deep. Finally, when he figured that an hour or so had passed, John declared an end to the interview.**

**"One last thing, Professor, and answer me honestly. Now that you have the capability of returning to Earth, are you coming back? Permanently, I mean?" David asked.**

**That was a question that John had also been asking himself. As desperately as he and his family had been making the attempt to find their way back, he wondered just how much he wanted to return to Earth. His home planet seemed to lack the call that Kartrm had right now. "Coming from the point of view of one who digs for answers, too, I’m impressed with your astuteness, David. I’m not sure that there is anything here anymore. It’s been a terribly hard journey at times, but I don’t regret going, and the discoveries we’ve made have been astonishing." John laughed at a thought that struck him as ludicrous. "And we aren’t pioneers in the sense of those frontiersmen of the nineteenth century. We can find a nice planet but still have the amenities of the Jupiter II."**

**"Well, I disagree with your reasoning because I do think you’re pioneers, but I won’t argue about it. We are almost back to your little chalet. I’d probably better leave now before I wear out my welcome. I’ll send a copy to the email address you gave me, and I want to wish you good luck, Professor Robinson. It really has been a pleasure." The two men shook hands. "And by the way, I saw some of my colleagues as I passed through Townsend. So you might have more company," David warned him.**

**John saw that someone else had gathered the wood, so he simply went inside. After several hours, Michele looked out the window and reported a vehicle driving up and down the narrow road. "Well, David was right," John commented. "Let’s make the most of the time that we have before they get too bold."**

**"And then I promised Colleen that we would see her briefly this afternoon," Maureen stated, leaving no room for argument. "She and Joan were worried about you and wanted to see you as well."**

**"Of, course, I want to see Colleen and Joan as well, but I still don’t trust that thing," he quipped.**

**"Then keep your mind focused, m’dear," she replied with a smile. And a little later, after emotional farewells, that is exactly what John did. The couple found themselves in Colleen’s den, with Joan looking at them in amusement.**

**"A person could get a hefty dose of jet lag doing this too often," John said with a laugh.**

**By early evening, the couple had returned to Scott’s apartment, happy but thoroughly tired and missing their children. John got on the young man’s computer and contacted Ben Mitchell again as he had promised he would.**

**This time, Ben wasn’t alone. "Congressman Bowman?" he asked, incredulous.**

**"Colonel Robinson!" the politician exclaimed. "If Ben didn’t have the reputation that he has, I wouldn’t have given him the time of day, much less come over to his house. He gave me the barest of details, just enough to pique my curiosity."**

**John told him the events leading up to his arrival back on Earth. "I just want a chance to talk to the committee, Congressman. I think I’m qualified to talk about space colonization, don’t you?"**

**Martin Bowman laughed. "I believe so, Colonel. Even though we politicians like to say we abide by set schedules, I haven’t seen a meeting yet that stuck to one. And I for one would like to have you there because otherwise I’m afraid that this is dead in the water."**

**"That’s a hefty load you’ve just tossed on my shoulders, sir, but I’ll do my best," John told him.**

**"You were a college instructor for a few years; just pretend they are your less than bright students," Bowman quipped.**

**John laughed with him. "Mr. Bowman, I will treat them as though they were my less than bright students who are genuinely interested in learning. And we’ll see what happens." Bowman just nodded and they signed off.**

**"This evening our itinerary includes seeing one of Ben Mitchell’s friends as well as Ben and Lisa," he told Maureen, when he had finished talking with Ben. "Now are you sure you’re not being inconvenienced by shuttling us around town?" John asked Scott.**

**"Absolutely not," Scott told the pair. What he didn’t say, but figured John already knew, was that he wouldn’t miss tomorrow’s meeting for anything; even an offer to do his residency at Johns Hopkins wouldn’t have budged him. He had been extremely excited to have been invited to attend.**  
  
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**[Chapter Sixteen](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes16.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/wishes1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	16. Planet of Wishes

Planet of Wishes

_**Planet of Wishes**_  
  
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**Chapter Sixteen \- Return Home**

**Jerry Crenshaw was a physicist, and a very frustrated one at the moment.Knowing that he was on the right track as far as his space travel theories were concerned, he fumed that he may not be able to finish his research due to lack of funding. He had theories, but nothing else to convince capital hill to continue funding his project.**

**"Ben Mitchell and a few of his friends are here to see you, dear," his wife interrupted his reverie.**

**"Might as well let them in; I’m not accomplishing anything else." Ben had contacted him early this morning, cryptic as usual, but he seemed excited, too. Getting up, Jerry greeted Ben, his wife, an older man and woman and a young man about his age. There was something familiar about the middle-aged pair, but he didn’t have the chance to ask at that moment.**

**"I hear that you have developed some theories on faster than light space travel. May I see what you have?" the older man asked him. Jerry blinked in surprise, but quickly pulled up the data on his computer. His guest read each equation thoroughly; pausing at some points to look over the notes that Jerry had kept during his research. This was the first time someone had looked through all of his equations without asking for an explanation or quitting halfway through.**

**"Dr. Crenshaw, I’m impressed. There’s only one error that I see right now, and I believe if you change it, all of the rest will fall into place. May I?" he asked.**

**"Sure," Jerry said quickly, pulling over another chair. "I have everything on disk anyway. My name’s Jerry. Glad to meet someone who speaks the same language, uh...."**

**"John. Glad to meet you, too.Here, Jerry, if you change this part, then you have a complete string. And I believe that it was this next equation where you were having problems with the hyper-jump theorem." John made several slight corrections, and Jerry stared in amazement when all of the subsequent equations changed and suddenly ordered themselves in perfect sense.**

**"John, where did you come up with this? And where have you been that we haven’t collaborated before?" he asked incredulously.**

**"Practice, Jerry, and I’ve been detained in various parts of the galaxy. I do have to admit, though, that I didn’t come up with everything on my own, I worked up some equations from technology that was given to my family and me by an alien race.I’m very impressed with your work, and I hope you can continue it. Earth needs this kind of technology," John said fervently.**

**"John.... Robinson?" Jerry stammered. His guest nodded. "I’ll be honest, too. I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I did if I hadn’t been given copies of your notes that you wrote before the launch." And while the others visited in another part of the house, the two men worked on hyper-drive theories throughout most of the evening.**

* * *

**The next morning, John woke up even before Scott, showering, shaving and dressing before anyone else even began stirring.Maureen yawned and stretched in the bed that Scott had graciously given them for the night.**

**"John, it’s only 6 a.m. and you’re ready to go!?As Judy would say, it’s obscene to be awake and dressed this early in the morning," she said and chuckled as he straightened the jacket he had ordered from Macy’s the day before. "Wouldn’t be a bit nervous, would you?"**

**"I suppose I am, Mo," he said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "Apparently there is much at stake here."**

**"And you’ll do fine. By the way, why did you let the congressman arrange to take us to the capital? Why don’t we just use the cube?" she asked.**

**"I just don’t want to publicize the means by which we get around, in case some zealot decides it’s needed for the national defense or something. As soon as this thing is done, we’re going home."**

**The ride to the capital later in the morning was fairly short, as traffic was a bit lighter than usual. John peered out the darkened windows of the electrically powered staff car and shook his head. "Something else that I haven’t missed," he murmured. "Rat race." Personally, Maureen tended to agree, but she said nothing.**

**Jerry Crenshaw was the first speaker, and John was impressed, not only with the young man’s expertise, but also with his demeanor in front of this austere group. He seemed to be able to propound his theories in a way that even the most unschooled layman could understand, and John noticed that most of the members of the committee were avidly listening. "I think that Jerry really didn’t need me," John leaned over and whispered to Maureen with a chuckle. She squeezed his hand.**

**As soon as Jerry finished, the congressman set his first bombshell off when he announced an unscheduled witness. It took him over five minutes to convince the panel that it was most imperative to have his guest speak after Dr. Crenshaw. When that was accomplished, he set his second bomb off. "Gentlemen, the only man who would be able to give us practical testimony of the veracity of faster than light space travel and also the benefits of space colonization, would be one who has done so."**

**John had the distinct impression that the congressman was trained in theater or he was enjoying this little performance very much. Right now the only thought, other than making a convincing argument for space exploration, was to return to his family. At the risk of being rude, John stood up. "Gentlemen, I wish to back up Dr. Crenshaw’s remarks and also to plead for the renewal of funds to Alpha Control’s space exploration program. I am Dr. John Robinson and this is my wife, Maureen," he said motioning to his wife. The panel members almost literally exploded. John stood quietly for a moment with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the furor to die down. Once his identity had been established, John was allowed to expound his views. After he had made his comments, the committee members asked questions.John lost count of the questions, but he didn’t mind, as the continued queries only served to show that these people seemed to have become genuinely interested in the subject.**

**When the questions finally ran out and John sat down, tired but pleased with the morning’s session, he was surprised to note that over three hours had elapsed since he had begun speaking. Maureen squeezed his hand and whispered, "Very well done, Professor Robinson. You haven’t lost the touch." He smiled wearily.**

**Leaning over to Maureen, he whispered in her ear. "Should we give these people something to talk about?" She gave him a questioning look. "Let’s quietly slip out of here and go home. I’m tired of the noise, the hiding out, the bureaucracy, and so on and so forth. Whether they vote for funding or not, I’ve done all I can and I miss the kids." Maureen smiled her understanding and slipped the cube out of her pocket.**

**The chairman looked at him. "Colonel Robinson, this has been a most rewarding meeting, but we are well overdue a short lunch recess. We would appreciate it if you would return for the afternoon session to answer any other questions that arise."**

**John held tightly to Maureen’s hand, curling his fingers around hers and the cube. "I must respectfully decline your invitation to stay. We aren’t needed here anymore. My wife and I have an obligation to return to the Jupiter II and our family. Decide wisely, gentlemen." And his thoughts turned immediately and unerringly to his family. Amid surprised cries of the others in the room, John felt himself returning to where he belonged. The trip went smoothly.**

* * *

**Maureen woke up with a jolt, but relaxed after realizing that she was nestled close to her husband. Sighing, she settled back down against his chest, grateful at their safe return. John murmured in his sleep and held her a bit tighter. Reveling in his close proximity, Maureen allowed herself to doze off for a little while longer....**

**"It is unconscionable that everyone else on this rusty bucket of bolts, this horrible heap of scrap metal, gets to take that device and travel wherever they want to, while I am made to suffer through these vile indignities." Dr. Smith’s whining voice pulled the couple from their peaceful rest.** **"About time you two stopped lazing around. You have to do something about Major West. He is a tyrant, a bully, and impossible to be around," Smith complained.**

**Maureen felt John tense up and then sigh. She peered at Smith carefully. Something seemed to be wrong with his face, but it was hard to tell in the half-light of the cabin. Reaching over, she activated the room lights and was startled to see a great bruise under Dr. Smith’s right eye. She felt John’s body shake a bit in barely controlled laughter.**

**"What happened to you, Dr. Smith," he queried.**

**Major West hit me. Totally unprovoked. I was only trying to give Mrs. West some advice, since I am a doctor," Smith protested.**

**"You made your living as a psychologist, Dr. Smith, not as a medical doctor."**

**"Well, I did get a degree in medicine, so I have the training," Smith huffed.**

**"Yes, I suppose, but what exactly did you say to Judy?" John asked quietly.**

**"I only told her that she should be careful what she ate, because she was already starting to look puffy and...."**

**"You told her what?" Maureen exclaimed, incredulous. "I don’t know about your medical training, but you aren’t even a good psychologist," she retorted. She felt John’s reassuring touch on her arm.**

**"May I assume that is when Major West hit you in the face?" John asked in an even voice.**

**"No, he did that when I very graciously offered my services to deliver the child when the happy event comes, reminding him of my credentials," Smith huffed. "He had the audacity to tell me that Hell would freeze over before he let me touch his wife and child."**

**John sighed and Maureen glared at the pompous idiot for a moment. "I suppose that you were very thorough in reminding him of all the dangers of having a baby on a primitive planet," John said.**

**"Oh, yes, one must be informed before making a decision," Smith said with a knowing smile.**

**"Well, I would guess then that Major West certainly had a great deal of information on which to base his decision to give you a black eye," John said dryly. Smith gaped at him a moment before realizing what the professor was implying.**

**"I need a vacation just as the rest of you did," Smith retorted, drawing himself up and puffing his chest out. He reminded Maureen of a little banty rooster.**

**"May I assume that you want the cube so you can travel someplace?" John asked.**

**"Yes, Professor, you assume correctly," Smith retorted haughtily. "I deserve a vacation, too, don’t you think?"**

**"Oh, yes, indeed you do, Dr. Smith," John answered with a smile. He reached down next to him and picked up the small device. "I only ask that you be careful with it because there are other places that members of this crew would like to visit." Maureen looked curiously at her husband. She was unsure of the direction of this conversation.**

**Smith deftly caught the cube, and with a great triumphant grin he scuttled out of the door. "Thank you, Dr. Smith," John murmured.**

**Soon the couple could hear his cabin door click shut. Seeing her look, John explained. "Don did mention that he would like to visit back home, but I was also using reverse psychology, Maureen. If Dr. Smith has someplace specific in mind that he wishes to go to, then he is more than welcome to stay there. I’m not sure that I could stand arbitrating for nine months between him and Don. He has the cube, and he will continue to use it until he finds a place that suits him. I wish him well." He kissed Maureen on the forehead. "Now let’s go and greet the rest of our family."**

**Maureen chuckled as they left their cabin and went in search of the others.**

**Don did a double take when he saw them come up the elevator to the observation deck. "Welcome back, John, Maureen. Am I glad to see you! You can’t imagine what it has been like here with Smith. All he’s done is complain about not being able to go on a vacation, and when he’s not been complaining, he’s insulted Judy."**

**"I have taken care of both problems, I believe," John said cryptically as he greeted each of his children. "You can’t imagine how good it feels to be back home."**

* * *

**Three months later, John was looking over some of the information that Will had put onto the disk at the intergalactic library. Will was helping him. Don was working with Judy on the control panel, while Maureen and Penny were analyzing some of the previous day’s remote surveys. The various flutter-dragons were merrily performing their aerial acrobatics above their heads, sometimes diving down the stairwell and out of the ship. So intent was John on the star chart displayed on the monitor in front of him that he didn’t catch the Robot’s announcement. When he did, he jerked his head up in surprise.**

**"What did you say?" he asked, incredulous.**

**"Merry Christmas," the Robot repeated.**

**"It’s not Christmas, Robot," Judy corrected their mechanical friend. "It is winter, but that doesn’t automatically mean that it’s Christmas."**

**"You are correct, but it is April the first, and it has been almost three months since Dr. Smith took the cube and left for his vacation," the Robot intoned. "Would you not say that his vacation was a good Christmas present on April the first?"**

**"Boy, I’ll say it is," Don agreed fervently. The rest laughed heartily.**

**The End**  
  
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